|
|
 Changing the Rules Chronology of Changes to Major League Baseball Official Rules Table 1: Changes to Rule 1 |
| Table 1. Changes to Rule 1 (Objectives) | ||
| DATE | RULE CHANGE | Rule |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1865 | The pitcher's box-twelve feet by three feet-replaces the twelve-foot line. | 1.07 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1872 | The ball is required to weigh not less than 5 and not more than 5 1/4 ounces, with a circumference of not less than 9 and not more than 9 1/4 inches. | 1.09 |
| 1875 | The (unpadded) catcher's glove is introduced, by Charles G. Waite. | 1.12 |
| 1877 | Canvas-covered bases are required. They are fifteen inches square, the same as today. | 1.06 |
| 1877 | Home plate is relocated to its present spot. | 1.05 |
| 1881 | The pitching distance is lengthened to fifty feet. | 1.07 |
| 1882 | The three-foot base line is adopted. | 1.04 |
| 1885 | Home base may be made of marble or whitened rubber | 1.05 |
| 1885 | The bat may have one flattened side. (This rule lasted only one year.) | 1.1 |
| 1886 | The pitcher's box becomes four feet by seven feet. | 1.07 |
| 1887 | The pitcher's box is 4 feet by 5 1/2 feet. | 1.07 |
| 1887 | Home plate is to be made of rubber and is to be twelve inches square | 1.05 |
| 1893 | The pitching distance is increased to sixty feet, six inches, where it remains today. | 1.07 |
| 1893 | . The pitcher's box disappears (never to be seen again) and is replaced by the rubber-a slab twelve inches long and four inches wide. | 1.07 |
| 1895 | The pitcher's rubber is enlarged to its present size of 24 by 6 inches. | 1.07 |
| 1895 | The maximum diameter of the bat is increased to 2 3/4 inches, where it remains today. | 1.1 |
| 1900 | The shape of home plate is changed, from a twelve-inch square to a five-sided figure seventeen inches wide. | 1.05 |
| 1904 | The height of the pitcher's mound is established. It may not be higher than fifteen inches above the base lines and home plate | 1.07 |
| 1910 | The cork-center ball is adopted for regular use (it had been used in the previous year for occasional play). | 1.09 |
| 1920 | Enter the "lively ball." Australian yarn, said to be stronger than its American equivalent, may be wound tighter, so the ball's bounce and hardness increase. | 1.09 |
| 1926 | The cushioned cork-center baseball is introduced. | 1.09 |
| 1934 | Both major leagues are required to adopt the same brand of baseball. | 1.09 |
| 1950 | The pitcher's mound must be fifteen inches above the level of the base lines | 1.07 |
| 1954 | The bat may be made of two or more pieces of wood laminated together. | 1.1 |
| 1959 | Minimum fence distances are established for new ballpark construction. | 1.04 |
| 1962 | Oversized gloves are banned for use by pitchers, infielders, and outfielders. [1.14 and 1.15] | 1.14 |
| 1962 | Batters may apply a grip-improving substance to the bat, though not beyond eighteen inches of its length beginning at the handle. | 1.1 |
| 1968 | The pitcher's mound is lowered to ten inches above home plate and the base lines, where it remains today. | 1.07 |
| 1971 | All major league players must wear protective helmets at bat | 1.16 |
| 1975 | The ball may be covered with cowhide as well as horsehide. | 1.09 |
| 1975 | Cupped bats are allowed | 1.1 |
| 1988 | Protective helmets are mandatory for catchers. | 1.16(d) |
2767