Our Story
What makes us different? Creative fields, homemade signs, and rules that keep it fun!
Founded on a passion for baseball and backyard fun, the Backyard Baseball League (BYBBL) was created to bring communities together through unique, creative gameplay. Our mission is to make baseball accessible and enjoyable for players of all ages, using custom rules and homemade fields that celebrate the joy of backyard play.
Our Story
The Backyard Baseball League was born from the imagination of Arty DeMattia, a lifelong baseball enthusiast and architectural designer from Revere, Massachusetts. Arty’s love for the game began early, nurtured by afternoons spent listening to Red Sox games with his grandfather, Henry. By the age of 11, Arty wasn’t just watching games—he was dreaming of building the ballparks themselves. That passion led him to study architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology and the Boston Architectural College after earning early credits at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Arty set a personal goal to visit every Major League Baseball park before turning 30—a challenge he completed just nine months shy of his milestone. To date, he has visited 35 MLB parks, 31 Minor League parks, 13 spring training stadiums, and countless college and independent league fields. One day, while doing yard work, Arty imagined building a Fenway-inspired field in his own backyard. Though space was tight, that didn’t stop him—instead, he designed a new kind of game with custom rules and a specially crafted ball. The result: a unique version of backyard baseball that captures the spirit of the big leagues in a way everyone can enjoy. The Backyard Baseball League is the next step in that dream—a celebration of creativity, community, and the love of the game.
Backyard Baseball League 