Finland’s third most popular ball game, Finnish baseball (pesäpallo), will turn 100 years old. Pesäpallo, which is called the national game of Finland, is alive and well. It is still played everywhere: in schools, at summer cottages, as a yard game, in camps and as a top sport. The championship series Superpesis is one of the most followed ball game series in Finland. Pesäpallo has always been associated with a strong sense of locality, and counties are passionate supporters of their favorite team.
The photographs on the stamps selected for the miniature sheet depict four typical situations in a pesäpallo game: the draw of choice, a pitch, a hit and advancing to a base. The reverse side of the sheet contains information on the father of pesäpallo, Lauri “Tahko” Pihkala, who invented the game by combining elements from different ball-batting games. The first official pesäpallo games with the new rules were played in 1922.
The stamps have been designed by Juuso Kemi, a self-confessed pesäpallo enthusiast. “I played as a junior in the Kankaanpään Maila for 10 years and have been a passionate fan of the sport since the 1980s. I watch Superpesis games every week during the season and every day during the playoffs.”
“We wanted to capture the high points of a pesäpallo game on the stamps, while, at the same time, highlighting the equality of pesäpallo through the selected photos. The stamps feature men, women and children playing the game. Since its invention, “pesis” has been a suitable sport for everyone, regardless of age and gender,” Kemi says.
In pesäpallo, Juuso Kemi is particularly fascinated by the tactical nature of the game, combined with an explosive performance. He believes that the skills associated with pesäpallo also come in handy in ordinary everyday life. “Teamwork and combining different people’s strengths in a way that benefits the whole group is a good recipe for many situations.” As the creative director of an advertising agency, Kemi has first-hand experience of this.
The Finnish Baseball 100 Years miniature sheet contains four domestic no-value indicator stamps.
