Kuningaspallo was the most advanced batting game in Finland. The batting took place at the home base, and the players ran to the outer base and back, trying to avoid being hit by the throws of the fielders. When a ball hit a player, they were out. The hit had to come between the bases; the circle and the base were the runners’ safe zones..

When batting, a player was not forced to move, but they could stay in the circle to wait for other batters. Three runners could wait at the same time in the circle and more at the outer base. All waiting runners could forward on the same batting.

Tahko’s greatest contribution to the rules of kuningaspallo was the “run” in 1914. The player who could run between the bases and not be hit scored their team a run, i.e. a point. Earlier, the game had been about which team could bat the longest. Previously, the batting turn changed at the first out, but Tahko’s idea was that it should happen at the third out. Thus began the journey from batting to Finnish baseball, pesäpallo.

Ball games in which you bat a ball, run, catch a ball, and throw it at others are universal and centuries old. They were popular in 19th century Europe, but they suffered in the shadow of new competitive sports.

The closest equivalents to kuningaspallo were the Swedish långboll, the German Schlagball, and the Russian laptá. They are all a part of the European cultural heritage: different games with the same origin.

The European games did not offer anything new to batting. On the other hand, baseball did. While traveling in America, Tahko was impressed by the simplicity and speed of the game. Baseball was a runner’s game. However, the wide field, the difficult horizontal pitch, and the uneventfulness of the game were elements that he did not like.

Tahko adopted the number of bases, contested bases, and runs as scoring units from baseball. In baseball, a player was out (“died”) if his fly hit was caught, thus ending his turn. Tahko changed this so that the catch resulted in the player being “wounded”. It took years before the roots of batting, the best bits of baseball, and Tahko’s own ideas merged into a game – pesäpallo.

Tahko’s work with the game continued during 1915-1917. The field became a narrow wedge, and now there was a new base, which the batter had to reach before the ball did. The fielders threw the ball at the runners advancing from the first base to the outer base and then to home base. The first base held one player at a time, the outer base several.

The rules of the new game were published in 1915, followed by another set in 1917. To emphasize the changes, Tahko named the game longball. His critics, however, spoke of “pihkapallo” or “Sapball”. In comparison to kuningaspallo, longball emphasized running speed and the activity and responsibility of the players.

The civil war of 1918 was a watershed in emphasizing the martial features of the game. After 1918, however, Tahko’s thoughts turned to education.

Sports, particularly batting, would unite the people and even out the conflicts between social groups. The game would teach them responsibility, respect for law and order, discipline, and courage: the qualities of a good citizen and a soldier alike.

At its heart, the development of batting stemmed from a basic introduction to sports and a trinity: nationality – education – martial spirit. Tahko’s theses came together in one game.

Longball was played 1915-1921, alongside kuningaspallo at first. The new game quickly became more popular, but many schools played kuningaspallo until the 1920s. Longball teams played in local series first. Games on a national level began in 1919.

Tahko wanted even more action, clarity, and speed in longball. The goal was a game in which individual responsibility and teamwork would come to the fore. The field was changed in 1920 and in 1921, and tests continued.

The tests that eventually led to the birth of pesäpallo began at Jyväskylä Lyceum in September 1920. Two field bases were used. The tests continued in Hämeenlinna and Helsinki. Tahko’s idea of the runner’s path across the front field via three bases came to life.

The first modern pesäpallo test match was played on Kaisaniemen kenttä on November 14, 1920. However, the largest support for Tahko and ideas for development came from Jyväskylä. Longball was exchanged for pesäpallo in 1922.

The name pesäpallo derives from baseball. It was the idea of Anni Collan, a pioneer of women’s fitness in Finland. The name referred to baseball at first, but Tahko soon adopted it for his game.

The New and the Old

The new basic concepts of pesäpallo were:
- home base and three field bases
- contested base on all running routes
- only one runner at a time in each base
- full force play when bases are full
- a player is caught if they advance on a catch
- home run

What remained from the old game:
- vertical pitch
- draw of choice
- a runner is put struck out if a fielder hits them with the ball (rule abandoned later)

The most significant changes to the field:
- 1931 a backline established at 86 metresers (94 yd) from the home base
- 1933 a bend leading to the home path
- 1937 field bases enlarged
- 1954 field extended to 91 metresers (99.5 yd)
- 1959 the plate was set deeper into the home base
- 1959 intersection of sidelines 4 metresers (4.4 yd) in front of the back bases
- 1975 circle for bouncers established at home base
- 1975 field extended to 94 metresers (ca. 103 yd)