Pattijoen Urheilijat (PattU) is a Finnish sports club founded in 1928 in Pattijoki, Raahe, Finland. The club competes in pesäpallo — the Finnish national bat-and-ball sport. PattU men play in Superpesis, the top tier of Finnish pesäpallo. The club also fields women’s and junior teams at regional and national levels.
Pesäpallo — The National Sport of Finland
Pesäpallo is the national sport of Finland. It is a bat-and-ball field game invented in the 1920s by Lauri ”Tahko” Pihkala, who adapted the rules of American baseball into a faster, more tactically complex game suited to Finnish conditions. The sport has been played at elite level since 1922 and today attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators annually across Finland.
Pattijoen Urheilijat (PattU), founded in 1928 in Pattijoki, Raahe, is one of the clubs that has carried pesäpallo through its entire modern history. PattU men compete in Superpesis, the top division of Finnish pesäpallo.
How Pesäpallo Is Played
Pesäpallo is played between two teams of nine players on a grass field. Unlike baseball, the pitcher stands beside home plate and throws the ball vertically upward — the batter must hit a ball descending from above. This creates a very different tactical game: the batter has far more control over direction, and the defence must cover wider angles.
A match consists of two innings per team. Each inning has three periods. An inning ends when the fielding team records three outs (called ”out” in Finnish as well) or when all four bases have been run. The team with the most runs after both innings wins. If scores are level, the game goes to a Super-extra inning — a shootout format unique to pesäpallo where pairs of batters and fielders compete head to head.
The Playing Field
The pesäpallo field is not a diamond but a zigzag layout. The four bases — koti (home), first, second and third — are placed in a Z-shape rather than a square. This means runners do not circle a diamond; they move across the field in an irregular path, making it harder for fielders to predict and cut off runners. The field is typically 80–100 metres long and 50–70 metres wide.
Scoring
A run (juoksu) is scored when a player advances from home plate through all four bases and returns home safely. A player who hits the ball and reaches a base safely is called a runner (juoksija). A ”home run” in pesäpallo — called a pesäjuoksu — scores immediately when a single hit drives the batter all the way around all bases in one go. Teams also score points for winning each of the three periods within an inning, adding a second layer of strategy.
Leagues and Competition
The top men’s league is Superpesis, organised by the Finnish Baseball and Softball Federation (Pesäpalloliitto). The top women’s league is Naisten Superpesis. Below these sit regional divisions running down to local club level. The Superpesis season runs from late May to early September. Playoff finals — the Superpesis-finaalit — are one of the most-watched sporting events in Finland each summer.
PattU men compete in Superpesis. PattU home games are held at MiiluAreena in Pattijoki and are streamed live on Ruutu+ via the Fanikamera service.
Pesäpallo vs. Baseball: Key Differences
| Feature | Pesäpallo | Baseball |
|---|---|---|
| Pitching | Vertical — ball thrown straight up beside batter | Horizontal — ball thrown toward batter from distance |
| Field shape | Zigzag (Z-shaped bases) | Diamond (square bases) |
| Ball | Smaller, harder | Larger |
| Innings structure | 2 innings, 3 periods each | 9 innings |
| Tiebreak | Super-extra shootout | Extra innings |
| Country of origin | Finland (1920s) | United States (19th century) |
History of Pesäpallo
Lauri ”Tahko” Pihkala codified the rules of pesäpallo in 1922 after studying American baseball during a visit to the United States. He wanted a sport that was faster, more suitable for Finnish fields, and that emphasised collective tactics over individual power. The first national championship was held in 1922. The sport spread rapidly through Finnish schools and the defence forces, becoming Finland’s national sport by the mid-20th century.
Pattijoen Urheilijat was founded six years after that first championship, in 1928, and has been part of organised Finnish pesäpallo ever since. The club’s home region of Raahe and the Oulu coast has a long pesäpallo tradition, with multiple clubs competing at national and regional level.
Watching Pesäpallo in Finland
Superpesis matches are broadcast on Finnish television (Yle) and streamed on Ruutu+. Attending a live match is one of the most accessible ways to experience Finnish summer culture. Admission is affordable, matches last two to three hours, and the atmosphere at grounds like MiiluAreena in Pattijoki is informal and family-friendly.
Tickets for PattU home games are available through Ticketmaster Finland. The schedule for the current season is at pattu.fi/ottelut.
Further Reading
Official pesäpallo rules and league tables: pesis.fi (Finnish Baseball and Softball Federation)
Superpesis standings and fixtures: superpesis.fi
Wikipedia: Pesäpallo