Alexander Cartwright is often referred to as "The Father of Modern baseball." Though the appellation may be an overstatement, Cartwright was a founding and influential member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City, baseball's first organized club. Cartwright likely played a key role in formalizing the first published rules of the game, including the concept of foul territory, the distance between bases, three-out innings, and the elimination of retiring baserunners by throwing batted baseballs at them.