Pinners

Pinners^[1] is a Chicago neighborhood game^[2] played on the front-stoop^[3] or walls with angled bricks/stones which can be used to pop the ball up in the air. References and accounts of playing exist to 1949 or earlier. The batter would throw a rubber/tennis ball at the edge of the step or angled wall brick, and the fielder(s) would try to catch the ball as it bounces back. The ball^[4] used was a two and a half-inch hollow pink soft rubber ball called a "Pinky," that bounced well off the edges of steps.^[5] Baseball gloves were not allowed. The scoring rules^[2] is similar to baseball, but with runs being virtual determined by where the ball lands. A single, double, triple or home run would be predetermined landmarks (i.e. sidewalk, trees, cars, street, curb/sidewalk lines) from the batting area. A catch is an out, and a one-handed catch could be used for a "rushie." As with most neighborhood games, rules varied by the groups playing and house rules would be determined at the start of the game, including the base locations. The game utilizes traditional Chicago neighborhood row house architecture, with most houses (Chicago Bungalow style) having front stairs or a stoop that leads from the front door to the sidewalk. Many of the schools built in Chicago have a horizontal perfectly angled section of decorative brick, at the right height, that was used for the game.

• NOTE: The batter's box painted on building or school walls with an X marking was used for “Fast Pitch^[6]” another local school-yard game.