Pitcher's mound

On a baseball field, the pitcher's mound is a raised section in the middle of the diamond where the pitcher stands when throwing the pitch.

History

The original Knickerbocker Rules did not specify the pitching distance in baseball. By the time major league baseball began in the 1870s, the pitcher was compelled to pitch from within a "box" whose front edge was 45 feet from home plate. He had to start and finish his delivery within the box, and not run in from the field as bowlers do in cricket. In an attempt to "increase the batting", the front edge of the pitcher's box was moved back 5 feet in 1881. The size of the box was tinkered with over the next few years. In 1887, the box was set at 4 feet wide and 5 1/2 feet deep, with the front edge still 50 feet from the plate. However, the pitcher was compelled to deliver the ball with his back foot at the 55 1/2 foot line of the box. In 1893, the box was replaced by the pitcher's plate, although the term "knocked out of the box" is still used when a pitcher is replaced for ineffectiveness. Exactly 5 feet was added to the point the pitcher had to toe, again "to increase the batting", and thus resulting in the peculiar pitching distance of 60 1/2 feet in baseball. Originally the pitcher threw from flat ground (as softball pitchers still do), but over time the mound was developed, tipping the balance back the pitchers' way somewhat. (Sources: Glory Fades Away, by Jerry Lansch; The Baseball Encyclopedia, published by MacMillan).

Related Topics:
Knickerbocker Rules - Cricket

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