“Smith led off on the Excelsior side with a swift liner which ought to have knocked Browne over, but he held the ball splendidly, and got a round of applause well merited.” Brooklyn Union, June 17, 1867, p1
Previous earliest use (Dickson Baseball Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2009):
1872. (Beadle’s Dime Base-Ball Player, p.26; Tom Shieber).
