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 Changing the Rules Chronology of Changes to Major League Baseball Official Rules Table N: Rule Changes 1970-1979 |
| Table N: Rule Changes 1970-1979 | ||
| DATE | RULE CHANGE | Rule |
| 1971 | All major league players must wear protective helmets at bat | 1.16 |
| 1973 | The year of the DH. The American League votes to accept the designated hitter rule on a three-year experimental basis. The National League votes against it. | 6.1 |
| 1973 | A reliever is credited with a save for "protecting" a lead. | 10.2 |
| 1974 | The save rule is amended slightly; no save is to be credited to a pitcher unless the tying run was on base or at the plate or unless he pitched three effective innings. (Before this a reliever was given a save if he maintained the lead, no matter what the score when he arrived.) | 10.2 |
| 1974 | Umpires may declare illegal pitches without any physical evidence. If they think that the motion of the ball indicates that the pitcher is throwing a spitter or a defaced ball, they may issue a warning and, if it happens a second time, eject a pitcher from the game. | 8.02 |
| 1975 | The ball may be covered with cowhide as well as horsehide. | 1.09 |
| 1975 | Cupped bats are allowed | 1.1 |
| 1975 | The save is refined once more: if the tying run is on deck, a pitcher is credited with a save. | 10.2 |
| 1976 | The American League accepts the DH as a permanent part of the rules. The National League reaffirms its opposition. | 6.1 |
| 1978 | A pitcher's ERA is to be calculated henceforth with fractions of innings pitched rather than with full innings. | 10.22 |
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