Dead-ball era

The dead-ball era is a baseball term generally used to describe the period between 1900 (though some date it to the beginning of baseball) and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1920.

The end of the dead-ball era

Again, there is much debate as to why the dead-ball era ended. There are reasons which are agreed upon by most, though. One was the end of the spitball as a legal pitch. This happened when Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was killed by a pitched ball on August 16, 1920 when pitcher Carl Mays of the New York Yankees hit him in the head with a discolored ball. Today, balls are usually replaced over 60 times in a game.

Related Topics:
Spitball - Ray Chapman - Cleveland Indians - August 16 - 1920 - Carl Mays - New York Yankees

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Also, of course, there was the Black Sox scandal of 1919. It's never been proven, but it's always been rumored that after the scandal, the ball itself was reformulated so it would be easier to hit. And then, of course, there was the arrival of Babe Ruth. The combination of these factors led to the virtual end of station to station baseball. Instead, it became much more common for teams to wait for the home run.

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