| The rules have evolved from the
original Knickerbocker Rules in 1845, to the first set
of National League rules in 1877. Since those years,
some major changes and rule additions have taken place
and Baseball Almanac has, hopefully, listed them into an easy to understand timeline. |
Knickerbocker
Rule Change Timeline |
In Chronological
Order |
| Year |
Change
In Official Knickerbocker Rules |
| 1857 |
The
game was won when one side scored 21 aces. Now it is
a 9 inning contest and the highest scoring team wins. |
| 1858 |
Called
strikes are introduced. |
| A
batter is out on a batted ball, fair or foul, if caught
on the fly or after one bounce. |
| The
baserunner is no longer required to touch each base
in order. |
| 1863 |
Bat
size is regulated. |
| Pitcher's
box is now 12 feet by 4 feet. |
| The
pitcher is no longer allowed to take a step during his
delivery and he had to pitch with both feet on the ground
at the same time. |
| Home
base and pitcher's box must be marked. |
| No
base can be made on a foul ball. |
| 1864 |
Out
on a fair bound is removed and the "fly catch"
of fair balls is adopted. |
| Each
base runner must touch each base in making the circuit. |
| Henry
Chadwick's scoring system is introduced. |
| 1865 |
Batting
averages are included. |
| 1867 |
Pitcher's
box is now made into a 6 foot square. Pitcher is now
permitted to move around inside this box. |
| The
batter is given the privilege of calling for a low or
high pitch. |
| 1872 |
Ball
size and weight are regulated and remain the same to
this date. |
|
|
National
League / Major League Rule Change Timeline |
In Chronological
Order |
| Year |
Change
In Official Major League Rules |
| 1877 |
Canvas
bases 15 inches square were introduced. |
| Home
plate was placed in the angle formed by the intersection
of the first and third base lines. |
| The
hitter was exempted from a time at bat if he walked. |
| 1879 |
Player
reserve clause was for the first time put into a contract. |
| The
number of "called balls" became 9 and all
balls were either strikes, balls or fouls. |
| The
pitcher had to face a batsman before pitching to him. |
| A
staff of umpires was first introduced. |
| 1880 |
Base
on balls was reduced to 8 "called balls." |
| The
base runner was out if hit by a batted ball. |
| The
catcher had to catch the pitch on the fly in order to
register and out on a third strike. |
| 1883 |
The
"foul bound catch" was abolished and the pitcher
could deliver a ball from above his waist. |
| 1884 |
All
restrictions on the delivery of a pitcher were removed. |
| Six
"called balls" became a base on balls. |
| Championships
were to be decided on a percentage basis. |
| 1885 |
One
portion of the bat could be flat (one side). |
| Home
base could be made of marble or whitened rubber. |
| Chest
protectors worn by catchers and umpires came into use. |
| 1887 |
The
pitcher's box was reduced to 4 feet by 5 1/2 feet. |
| Calling
for high and low pitches was abolished. |
| Five
balls became a base on balls. |
| Four
"called strikes" were adopted for this season
only. |
| Bases
on balls were recorded as hits for this season only. |
| The
batter was awarded first base when hit by a pitch. |
| Home
plate was to be made of rubber only - dropping the marble
type and was to be 12 inches square. |
| Coaches
were recognized by the rules for the first time ever. |
| 1888 |
Player
reserve clause was written into the contracts of minor
leaguers for the first time. |
| The
base on balls exemption from a time at bat was restored. |
| A
batsman was credited with a base hit when a runner was
hit by his batted ball. |
| 1889 |
Four
balls became a base on balls. |
| A
sacrifice bunt was statistically recognized. |
| 1891 |
Substitutions
were permitted at any point in the game. |
| Large
padded mitts were allowed for catchers. |
| 1893 |
Pitching
distance increased from 50 feet to 60 feet 6 inches. |
| The
pitching box was eliminated and a rubber slab 12 inches
by 4 inches was substituted. |
| The
pitcher was required to place his rear foot against
the slab. |
| The
rule exempting a batter from a time at bat on a sacrifice
was instituted. |
| The
rule allowing a flat side to a bat was rescinded and
the requirement that the bat be round and wholly of
hard wood was substituted. |
| 1894 |
Foul
bunts were classified as strikes. |
| 1895 |
Pitching
slab was enlarged to 24 inches by 6 inches. |
| Bats
were permitted to be 2 3/4 inches in diameter and not
to exceed 42 inches. |
| Infield-fly
rule was adopted. |
| A
held foul tip was classified as a strike. |
| 1901 |
Catchers
were compelled to remain continuously under the bat. |
| 1903 |
Foul
strike rule was adopted by the American League. |
| 1904 |
Height
of the mound was limited to 15 inches higher than the
level of the baselines. |
| 1908 |
Pitchers
were prohibited from soiling a new ball. |
| Shinguards
were reintroduced. |
| The
sacrifice fly rule was adopted. |
| 1910 |
The
cork center was added to the official baseball. |
| 1917 |
Earned-run
statistics and definitions were added to the rules. |
| 1920 |
All
freak deliveries, including the spitball, were outlawed. |
| The
failure of a preceding runner to touch a base would
not affect the status of a succeeding runner. |
| The
batter was given credit for a home run in the last of
the ninth inning if the winning run was on base when
the ball was hit out of the field. |
| The
number of runs batted in were to be included in the
official score. |
| Frivolous
ninth-inning uncontested steals in one-sided games were
discarded. |
| 1925 |
Pitcher
was allowed to use a resin bag. |
| The
minimum home-run distance was set at 250 feet. |
| 1931 |
Sacrifice
fly rule was brought back, this time with a man scoring
after the catch only. |
| Defensive
interference was changed from an offense solely by a
catcher to one by a fielder as well. |
| No
fielder could take a position in line with a batter's
vision with the deliberate intent to in any way distract
the batter. |
| Regulations
referring to a batter contacting his own ball were clarified
as was the area of bases awarded a batter when a defensive
player threw his glove at a batted or thrown ball or
in the case of spectator interference. |
| 1953 |
Players
were to remove their gloves from the field (in 1954)
when batting and no equipment was to show on the field
at any time. |
| 1959 |
Regulations
were set up for minimum boundaries for all new parks,
325-400-325 feet. |
| 1968 |
The
anti-spitball rule was rewritten and tightened up because
of the wave of moistened pitches that floated plateward
the prior season. |
| 1969 |
The
pitcher's mound was dropped five inches. |
| The
strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits
to the top of the batter's knees. |
| The
save rule was added to the official rules for the first
time. |
| 1971 |
All
major-league players were ordered to wear protective
helmets. |
| 1973 |
The
rule on glove size and color was minutely outlined for
standardization. |
| The
American League began using designated hitter for pitchers
on an experimental basis. |
| 1974 |
The
save rule was rewritten. |
| Minimum
standards for individual championships were outlined. |
| 1975 |
The
ball was permitted to be covered with cowhide because
of the shortage of horses. |
| Suspension
for three days became mandatory if batter were to hit
a fair ball with a filled, doctored or flat-surfaced
bat. |
| The
save rule was changed again. |
|
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