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 Changing the Rules Chronology of Changes to Major League Baseball Official Rules Table E: Rule Changes 1845-1869 |
| Table E. Rule Changes 1845-1869 | ||
| DATE | RULE CHANGE | Rule |
| 1845 | Although some sources say that the first written "baseball rules" date from 1834 or 1842, a more commonly cited year of origin is 1845, when the New York Knickerbockers created a formal code of playing rules. The rules limited each team to nine players, laid out the field in what designer Alexander Cartwright termed his "baseball square" (with ninety-foot sides), and established that the winner was the team who scored twenty-one aces, given that each team had an equal number of turns at bat. | |
| 1845 | There are no restrictions on bat size or shape. | 1.1 |
| 1845 | The ball weighs three ounces. | 1.09 |
| 1845 | The pitching distance is forty-five feet. | 1.07 |
| 1845 | Provisions are made for an umpire. | 9.01A |
| 1846 | The first recorded argument between a player and an umpire. The umpire wins | |
| 1848 | A rule is introduced requiring that a baseman must hold the ball in order to put out a runner. (Before this the base runner was out if the ball hit him.) | 7.08 |
| 1848 | Only the batter-runner making for first may be retired on a force. (Before this any runner could be retired on a force.) | 7.08 |
| 1849 | The New York Knickerbockers introduced the first uniforms, blue and white cricket outfits. | 1.17 |
| 1854 | The ball weighs from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 ounces and is from 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter. | 1.09 |
| 1857 | The nine-inning game is introduced. | 4.1 |
| 1858 | Balls caught on one hop are no longer outs. | 6.05 |
| 1858 | The called strike is introduced. | 6.05 |
| 1858 | One umpire, chosen by the home team, is in charge of a game | 9.03A |
| 1858 | The pitcher is allowed to make a short run in his delivery. | 8.01 |
| 1859 | The bat is limited to 2 1/2 inches in diameter (before this a bat like that used in cricket with a 4-inch-wide flat face had been commonplace). | 1.1 |
| 1860 | Whitewash is used to mark the foul lines. | 1.04 |
| 1860 | The umpire of a game is selected by the captain of each team. He is given the authority to suspend play, and he must make a call when a ball is foul. | 9.04 |
| 1861 | At the end of a game an umpire must declare the winning club and record his decision in the scorebook of each team before he leaves the field. | 9.04 |
| 1863 | The pitcher is not permitted to take even a step in his delivery. Both feet must be on the ground when he releases the ball. | 8.01 |
| 1863 | The bat must be round and of wood. Its width is still limited to 2 1/2 inches, but its length is not restricted. | 1.1 |
| 1864 | When a runner circles the bases, he must touch each one. | 7.02 |
| 1865 | The first sliding steal of a base, by Eddie Cuthbert of the Philadelphia Keystones | 10.08 |
| 1865 | The first batting averages are computed. | 10.22 |
| 1865 | The pitcher's box-twelve feet by three feet-replaces the twelve-foot line. | 1.07 |
| 1865 | The umpire must also record the results of a game in the scorer's book. | 9.04 |
| 1866 | The pitcher's box is enlarged to a four- by twelve-foot rectangle. | 1.07 |
| 1867 | The pitcher's box is six feet by six feet. | 1.07 |
| 1867 | Pitchers are allowed to take as many steps as they like in their delivery. | 8.01 |
| 1868 | The pitcher's box shrinks to a four- by six-foot box. | 1.07 |
| 1868 | The Cincinnati Red Stockings introduce knickerbocker trousers. | 1.17 |
| 1868 | The bat is to be no more than forty-two inches long. | 1.1 |
| 1869 | The pitcher's box is a six-foot square. | 1.07 |
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