Yes, but Rounders also had a round bat like baseball but baseball made the one they used bigger so it could be held with more then one hand. The Rule of having to pitch to the batter with limited speed no wrist twist or flick on underhand pitches was removed then underhand removed as long as the ball was not released above the waist as a diversion from Rounders that made you pitch to the person without wrist flick or twist underhand. Also in 1887 was first softball games but Softball the more modern versions came out in 1890's as a fast slow combo with two ball sizes in Chicago and Minneapolis where it was underhand like slow pitch thrown no higher then waist but could be thrown with speed was being developed with only having a single underhand pitching no windmill but allowing wrist twist and curl as to why the switch in 1890's for underhand to overhand happened. These two sports are reasons why the modern throw was developed with first the allowing a pitcher to pitch rather then deliver the ball and to later be able to throw overhand.
Cricket rules also evolved throughout the 19th century - eg first bowling was only underarm, then roundarm, then almost solely over arm by late 19th century.
Exactly. I remember first getting into baseball history as a child, and I was blown away by the insane stats of these insane pitchers of the time such as Pud Galvin, Tim Keefe, etc
Thank you for just making these in general. My friends think I’m insane for loving guys like Cap Anson, Ed Delahanty, and Pug Galvin. And just the craziness of the sport back then
my guys are anson cobb joe start creighton al spalding levi meyerle peek a boo veach etc etc i’m the walking encyclopedia of 19th century baseball 😁👍 so much interesting and intriguing stories
Batters face more fresh arms,starters don't go more than 2 times through a lineup,maybe 3 sometimes unless they are dominating and keep their pitch count down
There has always been an evolution of pitching,now more arms get run out there,starters don't go deep into games. Hitters accept striking out more because they are facing fresh arms throwing hard. Another challenge hitters face is more HR robberies when they do connect. Fences have been moved in to make it easier to hit it out.
The 1893 rule of 60'6'' was basically the Amos Rusie rule because he threw so hard and had struck Hughie Jennings in the head the year before. Amos led all pitchers in strikeouts for few more years after then, after developing arm problems, was traded from the Giants to the Reds for Christy Mathewson. Pretty much completely forgotten legend of the game.
I keep thinking about how back then Pitchers threw 400+ Innings per year and often with little to sometimes throwing many innings in Consecutive Days. You don't hear about the arms problems that Pitchers seemingly have today. In Modern Day Pitchers Defense Sliders are Extremely rough on one's arm (i.e. Dave Stieb and Dan Petry).
The only thing he didn't mention is when it took 9 Balls before you hot a walk. Can you imagine how few walks there would be today if that rule was in place.
An interesting research topic, of which I know nothing, is how the Civil War affected the proceedings of the National Association of Baseball Players. So many players on amateur clubs in New York went to war from 1861-1865. Star pitcher Jim Creighton died in 1862, but not on a battlefield in the South like some of his friends must have.
@@thebaseballprofessor they are directly credited with spreading the game, New York regiments were everywhere so were playing teams made up of guys from other states who took it home and taught it to new people who caught on it’s no shock that the big cities of Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Baltimore, and St. Louis fielded pro teams as they’re all major sea and rail links
@@bostonrailfan2427 Players from NY clubs spread the game all over during the war years. What I don't know much about is NABBP's functioning from 1861 to 1865. The rules committee introduced called strikes the same year as the Battle of Gettysburg!
My dad played in a league where they followed 1858 rules it was pretty cool to watch, no gloves and the balls were a little bigger with a softer leather cover
F.Y.I. The Modern Era started around the turn of the 20th Century where Hitters didn't Use Steroids to hit 50 Balls over a small fence less than 375 feet away. For anyone yo compare Aaron Judge to Babe Ruth given the Dimensions of Yankee Stadium and Even Fenway Park then (Yes they moved the fences in at Fenway Park over the Years.) Us Totally and Completely Outrageous!!
Baseball loves to compare stats over long periods of time. But as this video show, you just can't. I especially loathe stats from the 19th century because the game was incredibly different. By the time MLB took its current form in 1901, things had largely standardized. But it's still hard. You have the incredible hitting eras of the '20s and '30s. The entire American League, pitchers included, hit .301 in 1930. You also have the Dead Ball Era of the first two decades before that, when pitching, bunting, stealing, and hitting for average were the tenets of the game. Or the Pitcher's era of the late 1960s. Remember 1930 when the whole American League hit .301? In 1968, one ONE HITTER reached that mark (Yaz). (Only five in the NL.) When examining the great ones, pay less attention to their numbers and more attention to where they stood among their peers when they played. That way, you'll be less likely to elect Harold Baines to the Hall of Fame, and more likely not to ignore Dick Allen for all these decades.
Harold Baines and Lee Smith getting elected to the Hall had nothing to do with comparing numbers across eras. Why they got in is a mystery, but I wouldn't blame Hoss Radbourne or Cap Anson.
In My Opinion Harold Baines and Dick Allen are Both Hall of Famers. If Dick Allen isn't in, then he ought to be. Considering that Harold Barnes had almost 400 Homeruns and nearly 3,000 hits for his Career there is no question that those are Hall of Fame Numbers.
@@jimwerther Lee Smith was a Great Reliever. That's why he got in. Again Harold Barnes had Almost 400 Homeruns and nearly 3,000 Hits in his Career. Those are definitely Hall of Fame Worthy Numbers.
@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup I have no idea who Harold Barnes is. Lee Smith had great stuff, but only the best relievers belong in the Hall, due to the few innings they pitch, and Lee Smith could not be counted on in big spots.
Chris Robert: That's a great suggestion!!! I'm a long-time Tigers fan (and Cubbies in the NL) and read up on baseball when I was a kid but don't recall learning anything about the development of gloves. My one story about 19th century baseball is that Ulysses Grant when Prez was a big fan; I don't think he played.
I remember reading that Harvard (I think) refused to throw the curve ball, thinking it was unsportsmanlike, opting to keep throwing the "straight" ball when pitching.
"Athletics have come to the pass where they are no longer fair and open trials of strength and skill, but on the contrary, as at present conducted, they train the young men to look upon victory as the rewards of treachery and deceit. That this is the case, anyone who has seen the game of baseball as it is played by the so-called best college nines will at once admit. For the pitcher, instead of delivering the ball to the batter in an honest, straightforward way, that the latter may exert his strength to the best advantage in knocking it, now uses every effort to deceive him by curving-I think that is the word-the ball. And this is looked upon as the last triumph of athletic science and skill. I tell you it is time to call halt! when the boasted progress in athletics is in the direction of fraud and deceit." - New York Clipper, 1884
hitting a pitched ball with a bat is the hardest thing to do in sports. anyone who says otherwise should certainly watch this video and pay close attention to the history of the evolution of the game of baseball!
@@georgestevens1502 I suppose. but in tennis you have approximately 100 square inches of surface area with which to hit the ball. in baseball you might have 5 to 10% of that surface. additionally, in tennis you can stand somewhat more forward-facing to take away some of the third dimension of the way the ball is moving.
@@danacoleman4007 You can hir the baseball hundreds of feet, even out of the park. You have to hit a tennis ball into a tiny space by comparison, and there's no out of the park. You're ignoring obvious realities.
While it is true that pitchers are bigger, more athletic, and have a better understanding of mechanics than ever before, the biggest reason strikeouts are up is because of the way the game is approached on both ends. From the pitcher's perspective, the emphasis is to throw as hard as you can for as long as you can, and when you run out of gas, the next guy will come in and do the same thing. When pitchers were expected to finish their starts, they tried to induce weak contact, and only reached back for the gas when necessary. ("Strikeouts are boring, besides, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic." - Crash Davis). As for hitters, strikeouts used to be stigmatized, nothing good can happen if you don't put the ball in play. Now it's merely the cost of doing business, the benefits of power hitting are thought to outweigh the negatives of striking out. You should also delve into the details of Jim Creighton's death, a huge part of early baseball mythology. Otherwise, great work.
Very true now with starters going 5 innings ( on a good night) and relievers going 1 inning each for the next four everyone just comes in and throws as hard as they can. Then we have the new hitting theory of "launch angle" and we have what is called modern baseball. A home run or a strikeout and 3 1/2 hour gamed
@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup Unfortunately, that's how you can have hitters getting paid to bat barely above the Mendoza Line if they can still get 30 home runs. Adam Dunn was ahead of his time.
Yes, with only difference the ball was bigger in Softball and that Softball was an indoor winter sport from firat game in 1887 until 1895 with the Minneapolis outdoor rules ball that stayed together better and the indoor Chicago rules with the ball that became softer over time. This is why until the late 2000's to 2010 it was more common for people to see in sports stores and online a big light brown/sometimes Champaigne color of stiff leather ball with wider white stitching that dented easier being used for the Chicago/New Orleans rules of slow-pitch that is supposed to be played without gloves as one of the two types of slow-pitch balls along with the modern slow-pitch ball that is just a bigger fast pitch ball that is almost the same size as the Chicago/New Orleans ball but is smaller by about an inch at 14--16 depending on age with the fast-pitch ball a 12--13 inch for almost all versions. 1993 had the yellow color for NCAA you see more common as of 2000 for the modern softballs with few leagues now using a white that is Still made and used. Some Slow-Pitch Softball leagues use the Fast-Pitch ball in a pinch if they can't find the bigger modern Slow-Pitch ball that easy.
There has been for around 5 years or so. Because of All.of The Pitching Changes this was put in in Order to Speed up the Game. If Hitters stopped leaving and reentering the Batter's Box after each pitch, I would imagine that you would reduce each game by at least 35 minutes on average.
Lately I've been saying " I hate these new rules, I wish they would leave the game alone ". Little did I know the game and rules keeps evolving like this.
Loved the dates. Lowering the mound hit w I was 15 as a pitcher. It sucked! And still does. We pitched whole games back then and Always Hit for ourselves ran or better yet stole bases to boot.
We were having a thread about this year's season yesterday and how pitchers are getting away with using small amounts of sticky stuff again, and somehow the convo got to using glow-in-the-dark baseballs and using blacklights on the field. The purists howl but the game will keep on altering.
Very good work! I'd like to learn more about balls and strikes rules in the nineteenth century, perhaps up to the time of Willie Keeler and the bunting for a third strike rule.
That really was superb. I think its easier to talk change in baseball than any other sport. Plus can we continue to count dead ball era, after knowing all this? They were forbidden from throwing overhand? Never knew that.
After 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher," where Bob Gibson had an 1.21 ERA and Denny McLain had 31 wins, MBL management went into panic mode to try to get more offense into the game. They lowered the mound six inches and shrank the strike zone. The effect was minimal. Pitchers adapted by using more of the lower part of the strike zone. But, as said previously, the batters went more for power and HRs instead of good contact and base hits. Thus, more strikeouts and catchable fly balls.
I've heard that leagues are experimenting on moving the pitchers mound back a foot or two. With many pitchers throwing over 100 mph and batting averages shrinking, I think that this could be a good solution to solve the hitting drought in the major and minor leagues.
You should consider making video about how World Series rewards were changed overtime, especially considering how initially it wasn't the rings that were awarded to players.
I'm planning a video about baseball salaries. Your comment reminds me of the significant financial rewards for winning the world series before free agency.
Neat! TIL that in its earliest form, pitching was meant to be "gentlemanly" and co-operative in spirit, to get the ball into play, despite the pitcher being on an opposing team! Then, one day, 'ole Jimmy Creighton says "They couldn't hit the ball, at all, if I threw my best instead of giving them softies right to their bat...I think I'll give that a whirl, and we'll probably win!" I wonder if he realized at the time how much he would change the trajectory of the sport, and redefine it? Catchers also went from being glorified backstops who simply tossed the ball back to their pitcher to instead being key defensive shot callers, intelligence gathers on opposing batters, and working WITH the pitcher to produce outs. Crazy.
Old school baseball fan here ~ give me the strike zone as we had it from 1963-1969. No more DH. Relaxed balk rule. No more than 2 manager visits to the mound or pitcher gets DQ'd. Loosen up the ball so that it has less exit speed and distance when hit. 154 game schedule. Less time in between innings. The one concession I'll make for the modern rules is the use of universal tie breaker in extra innings games. I want the average game to be no more than 2 hours just like in the old days when baseball was FAR more fun than it is today.
Thank you for the information. I learned a couple new things. I think it's time for a change. They need to make the game more exciting. There are too many strikeouts. They need to get the ball in play like they used to when the game first started. I have been saying for several years now they need to limit the speed of the pitch to around 85 mph. If the ball exceeds that speed it is considered a ball no matter if it was in the strike zone or not.
You’re joking, right? If you want the game to be more exciting, then just move the pitching mound back a little more. Or, allow bats to be a larger diameter. Or, allow the ball to be woven tighter. Or, bring the bases closer together. Keep changing the rules of baseball and it will become a completely different game from what we grew up playing.
The thing is now, every pitcher and his first cousin coming out of the bullpen throw the ball at 98+ mph. Every era had its hard throwers but in the 2020s everybody is a hard thrower.
MLB has asked the Atlantic League to test out a 61'6" mound. I think a possible change to the distance in mlb is coming due to low league wide batting averages.
One of the big reasons strikeouts are going up lately and batting averages down is the “hero ball syndrome” every one is trying to be the hero and hit home runs. This leads to worse batting averages for most hitters more strikeouts for pitchers and an increase in pop ups and ground outs due to poor bat/ball contact.
One big reason why batting averages are low is everyone swinging for the fences. The idea of ",hit 'em where they ain't" like willie keeler , dropping a bunt when the infielders are playing deep isn't as hitting 500 ft homeruns. "singles hitters drive chevies, homerun hitters drive Cadillacs" is still a belief. Guys who might hit ten a year still try to hit 50. If you add in a strike zine that's as usuve as unicorns. varying from umpire to umlire and the pitcher maintains the advantage. Ysed ti be, when I was a kid. the strike zone was the letters, or the armpit, to the knees. I've seen pitches at the belt called balls ( too high). Pitchers don't usually go more than 5-6 innings now, and a reliever throwing 90+ comes in, whete in the old days, pitchers were expected to pitch coplete games, and relievers were guys who couldn't be starters. either older ot sore armed. It's a different game now.
I wish that MLB would limit managers to using only 3 pitchers per game. This would eliminate the so-called "pitch clock" and would speed up games. It is ridiculous that pitchers who are pitching well (sometimes, a no-hitter) are pulled after 6 or 7 innings, and there are few complete games pitched anymore. It is deplorable that statistics of pitchers of today cannot be compared with those of the pre-pitch clock era, because part of the appeal of baseball is competition between players of today and those of yesteryear.
banning square bats was huge for another reason: it severed a huge tie to cricket, one of the sports that contributed to the development of the sport.
Excellent point .
Yes, but Rounders also had a round bat like baseball but baseball made the one they used bigger so it could be held with more then one hand. The Rule of having to pitch to the batter with limited speed no wrist twist or flick on underhand pitches was removed then underhand removed as long as the ball was not released above the waist as a diversion from Rounders that made you pitch to the person without wrist flick or twist underhand. Also in 1887 was first softball games but Softball the more modern versions came out in 1890's as a fast slow combo with two ball sizes in Chicago and Minneapolis where it was underhand like slow pitch thrown no higher then waist but could be thrown with speed was being developed with only having a single underhand pitching no windmill but allowing wrist twist and curl as to why the switch in 1890's for underhand to overhand happened. These two sports are reasons why the modern throw was developed with first the allowing a pitcher to pitch rather then deliver the ball and to later be able to throw overhand.
@UncleMikeNJ At least that was not me thinking why a call was not called in Rugby only to find you were watching Australian Rules Football.
Cricket rules also evolved throughout the 19th century - eg first bowling was only underarm, then roundarm, then almost solely over arm by late 19th century.
Thank you for covering 19th century baseball. It's a fascinating time that doesn't get covered enough.
Exactly. I remember first getting into baseball history as a child, and I was blown away by the insane stats of these insane pitchers of the time such as Pud Galvin, Tim Keefe, etc
Great job....I am a baseball geek and knowing the rules from the 1800s is amazing to me..Thanks much and looking forward to more from your channel.
Thank you for the engaging historic perspectives on baseball's evolution. Great content! Well done 👍
Don't forget that in 1887 walks counted as hits for BA purposes
True.
Yep and I had came across some idiot who conflated that with this happening in the 1990s...
he uses baseball reference, which adjusts for this
Thank you for just making these in general. My friends think I’m insane for loving guys like Cap Anson, Ed Delahanty, and Pug Galvin. And just the craziness of the sport back then
my guys are anson cobb joe start creighton al spalding levi meyerle peek a boo veach etc etc i’m the walking encyclopedia of 19th century baseball 😁👍 so much interesting and intriguing stories
Old hoss Radbourn
Dude, your channel is awesome and I look forward to every new video. Stick with it and this channel is gonna explode.
Thanks man!
Pitchers are getting better but batters are also willing to strike out more often in the name of hitting the ball farther when they do make contact.
This is it. Power hitting has really come to the forefront.
Batters face more fresh arms,starters don't go more than 2 times through a lineup,maybe 3 sometimes unless they are dominating and keep their pitch count down
There has always been an evolution of pitching,now more arms get run out there,starters don't go deep into games.
Hitters accept striking out more because they are facing fresh arms throwing hard.
Another challenge hitters face is more HR robberies when they do connect.
Fences have been moved in to make it easier to hit it out.
when and if....
The 1893 rule of 60'6'' was basically the Amos Rusie rule because he threw so hard and had struck Hughie Jennings in the head the year before. Amos led all pitchers in strikeouts for few more years after then, after developing arm problems, was traded from the Giants to the Reds for Christy Mathewson. Pretty much completely forgotten legend of the game.
I keep thinking about how back then Pitchers threw 400+ Innings per year and often with little to sometimes throwing many innings in Consecutive Days. You don't hear about the arms problems that Pitchers seemingly have today. In Modern Day Pitchers Defense Sliders are Extremely rough on one's arm (i.e. Dave Stieb and Dan Petry).
Rusie hit Jennings in 1897.
@@KevinWindsor1971 My bad, I miss read that in a story I read. You are right. Thanks for being so diligent. The rest is true, though.
Here's another guy that was a pretty good pitcher from that era who you may have never heard of: Charlie "Silver" King.
@@danejurus69It is a tragedy that Silver King is not in the Hall
I really enjoyed this video, keep up the great work! Jim Creighton sure was something special.
Excellent video! Serious research, wonderful content, solid delivery, appropriate soundtrack, and terrific visuals. Bravo!
So thankful for OOTP Baseball and UA-cam channels like this one for sparking my curiosity about this fascinating era of the game.
Great video. 19th century baseball is so fascinating. Getting to see presentations like this add considerably to the joy of the game👍
The only thing he didn't mention is when it took 9 Balls before you hot a walk. Can you imagine how few walks there would be today if that rule was in place.
Interesting, according to the box score shown @:58, the Excelsior club batted in the bottom of the ninth with a 22-4 lead.
Wow - great catch. I hope the host of this channel sees this comment and can explain the background.
I find this timing humorous.
"What happened in 1863?"
"Baseball added called balls to its rules...oh and the Battle of Gettysburg."
An interesting research topic, of which I know nothing, is how the Civil War affected the proceedings of the National Association of Baseball Players. So many players on amateur clubs in New York went to war from 1861-1865. Star pitcher Jim Creighton died in 1862, but not on a battlefield in the South like some of his friends must have.
@@thebaseballprofessor they are directly credited with spreading the game, New York regiments were everywhere so were playing teams made up of guys from other states who took it home and taught it to new people who caught on
it’s no shock that the big cities of Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Baltimore, and St. Louis fielded pro teams as they’re all major sea and rail links
@@bostonrailfan2427 Players from NY clubs spread the game all over during the war years. What I don't know much about is NABBP's functioning from 1861 to 1865. The rules committee introduced called strikes the same year as the Battle of Gettysburg!
@@thebaseballprofessor
Yeah, the OP just made that point.
I daresay that fellow isn't letting me have a go at the ball. It's as if he wants me to miss. Bully to you sir
That's some deliciously dry wit, right thar!' 🤓🤓
I love a pitcher’s duel.
Always been fascinated with 19th century baseball
My dad played in a league where they followed 1858 rules it was pretty cool to watch, no gloves and the balls were a little bigger with a softer leather cover
As a fan of old time baseball, pre 2000's I enjoyed the video. Great work.
F.Y.I. The Modern Era started around the turn of the 20th Century where Hitters didn't Use Steroids to hit 50 Balls over a small fence less than 375 feet away. For anyone yo compare Aaron Judge to Babe Ruth given the Dimensions of Yankee Stadium and Even Fenway Park then (Yes they moved the fences in at Fenway Park over the Years.) Us Totally and Completely Outrageous!!
@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroupease up on the shift key, old timer
@@juliebraden6911I don't take orders from disrespectful people. Be careful who you call old.
How can anyone like baseball and not like this channel? Fun, relaxing; just like baseball. 👍🏿
Awesome. More like this please.
Love this. Great work bringing this to life. Super interesting, informative, educational and just great content.
I prefer low scoring baseball. It makes the big hits more exciting and important.
Baseball loves to compare stats over long periods of time. But as this video show, you just can't. I especially loathe stats from the 19th century because the game was incredibly different. By the time MLB took its current form in 1901, things had largely standardized. But it's still hard. You have the incredible hitting eras of the '20s and '30s. The entire American League, pitchers included, hit .301 in 1930. You also have the Dead Ball Era of the first two decades before that, when pitching, bunting, stealing, and hitting for average were the tenets of the game. Or the Pitcher's era of the late 1960s. Remember 1930 when the whole American League hit .301? In 1968, one ONE HITTER reached that mark (Yaz). (Only five in the NL.)
When examining the great ones, pay less attention to their numbers and more attention to where they stood among their peers when they played. That way, you'll be less likely to elect Harold Baines to the Hall of Fame, and more likely not to ignore Dick Allen for all these decades.
Harold Baines and Lee Smith getting elected to the Hall had nothing to do with comparing numbers across eras. Why they got in is a mystery, but I wouldn't blame Hoss Radbourne or Cap Anson.
In My Opinion Harold Baines and Dick Allen are Both Hall of Famers. If Dick Allen isn't in, then he ought to be. Considering that Harold Barnes had almost 400 Homeruns and nearly 3,000 hits for his Career there is no question that those are Hall of Fame Numbers.
@@jimwerther Lee Smith was a Great Reliever. That's why he got in. Again Harold Barnes had Almost 400 Homeruns and nearly 3,000 Hits in his Career. Those are definitely Hall of Fame Worthy Numbers.
@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup
I have no idea who Harold Barnes is. Lee Smith had great stuff, but only the best relievers belong in the Hall, due to the few innings they pitch, and Lee Smith could not be counted on in big spots.
@@jimwerther That doesn't negate him from being a Hall of Famer. If you know anything about Baseball you ought to know who Harold Barnes is.
This the best baseball history video I've seen. Excellent information and fascinating!
Good work; thanks. Somebody should do a video on how the glove developed over the decades.
Chris Robert: That's a great suggestion!!! I'm a long-time Tigers fan (and Cubbies in the NL) and read up on baseball when I was a kid but don't recall learning anything about the development of gloves. My one story about 19th century baseball is that Ulysses Grant when Prez was a big fan; I don't think he played.
Great eye opener for me, who likes baseball, but never delved into the deep, storied past. Very entertaining.
Glad I found this channel !!
Brutally awesome and informative... you the man... the best... teach us on all parameters
He was killing them softly
I remember reading that Harvard (I think) refused to throw the curve ball, thinking it was unsportsmanlike, opting to keep throwing the "straight" ball when pitching.
"Athletics have come to the pass where they are no longer fair and open trials of strength and skill, but on the contrary, as at present conducted, they train the young men to look upon victory as the rewards of treachery and deceit. That this is the case, anyone who has seen the game of baseball as it is played by the so-called best college nines will at once admit. For the pitcher, instead of delivering the ball to the batter in an honest, straightforward way, that the latter may exert his strength to the best advantage in knocking it, now uses every effort to deceive him by curving-I think that is the word-the ball. And this is looked upon as the last triumph of athletic science and skill. I tell you it is time to call halt! when the boasted progress in athletics is in the direction of fraud and deceit." - New York Clipper, 1884
@@thebaseballprofessor Excellent find. Thanks.
Any video that mentions Old Hoss is gonna get a thumbs up from me
Love the videos! Great content, keep it up. For once the algorithm brings me in on the ground floor
One name came to mind as soon as I saw this. Denton True "Cy" Young
Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for this!
Very informative-and something I appreciate, not at bloated. Great video.
Love this channel, keep the content coming!!
hitting a pitched ball with a bat is the hardest thing to do in sports. anyone who says otherwise should certainly watch this video and pay close attention to the history of the evolution of the game of baseball!
Hitting 115+ mph tennis serves back to a very small space ain't easy. Comparable to hitting a baseball.
@@georgestevens1502 I suppose. but in tennis you have approximately 100 square inches of surface area with which to hit the ball. in baseball you might have 5 to 10% of that surface. additionally, in tennis you can stand somewhat more forward-facing to take away some of the third dimension of the way the ball is moving.
@@danacoleman4007 You can hir the baseball hundreds of feet, even out of the park. You have to hit a tennis ball into a tiny space by comparison, and there's no out of the park. You're ignoring obvious realities.
Very nice. I enjoyed the history of baseball it answered a great many questions I had. Great job!!!
How would you be able to hit the ball if the mound was only 10 feet away ?
Those uniforms are sick!!!
Would enjoy hearing a comparison between the NY Yankees of 1927 and Philadelphia A's of early 1930s.
Thanks for the journey from Mound to Home Plate.
Great video, very educational. Thank you!
Great video especially if you're a fan of baseball history.
Do a video on baseball and the influence of organized gamblers.
I like the idea. Thanks for the comment.
So who was baseballs first unhittable pitcher? Did I miss it?
While it is true that pitchers are bigger, more athletic, and have a better understanding of mechanics than ever before, the biggest reason strikeouts are up is because of the way the game is approached on both ends. From the pitcher's perspective, the emphasis is to throw as hard as you can for as long as you can, and when you run out of gas, the next guy will come in and do the same thing. When pitchers were expected to finish their starts, they tried to induce weak contact, and only reached back for the gas when necessary. ("Strikeouts are boring, besides, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic." - Crash Davis). As for hitters, strikeouts used to be stigmatized, nothing good can happen if you don't put the ball in play. Now it's merely the cost of doing business, the benefits of power hitting are thought to outweigh the negatives of striking out.
You should also delve into the details of Jim Creighton's death, a huge part of early baseball mythology. Otherwise, great work.
This guy has it right. It's over the fence or "oh, well."
Very true now with starters going 5 innings ( on a good night) and relievers going 1 inning each for the next four everyone just comes in and throws as hard as they can.
Then we have the new hitting theory of "launch angle" and we have what is called modern baseball. A home run or a strikeout and 3 1/2 hour gamed
Or you could just say good work....
It also the Money. Homeruns are financially worth more than other hits.
@@DownriverBusinessEventsGroup Unfortunately, that's how you can have hitters getting paid to bat barely above the Mendoza Line if they can still get 30 home runs. Adam Dunn was ahead of his time.
Excellent video
Awesome! Love your content!!!!
So they originally pitched underhand, from 45 feet. Sounds like softball lol.
Yes, with only difference the ball was bigger in Softball and that Softball was an indoor winter sport from firat game in 1887 until 1895 with the Minneapolis outdoor rules ball that stayed together better and the indoor Chicago rules with the ball that became softer over time. This is why until the late 2000's to 2010 it was more common for people to see in sports stores and online a big light brown/sometimes Champaigne color of stiff leather ball with wider white stitching that dented easier being used for the Chicago/New Orleans rules of slow-pitch that is supposed to be played without gloves as one of the two types of slow-pitch balls along with the modern slow-pitch ball that is just a bigger fast pitch ball that is almost the same size as the Chicago/New Orleans ball but is smaller by about an inch at 14--16 depending on age with the fast-pitch ball a 12--13 inch for almost all versions. 1993 had the yellow color for NCAA you see more common as of 2000 for the modern softballs with few leagues now using a white that is Still made and used. Some Slow-Pitch Softball leagues use the Fast-Pitch ball in a pinch if they can't find the bigger modern Slow-Pitch ball that easy.
Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
Excellent
I didn't know there was a 3-batter rule for pitchers now.
There has been for around 5 years or so. Because of All.of The Pitching Changes this was put in in Order to Speed up the Game. If Hitters stopped leaving and reentering the Batter's Box after each pitch, I would imagine that you would reduce each game by at least 35 minutes on average.
Loved it! Thanks!
Fascinating history 👏
I liked your video a lot and I have subscribed. Good work!
Lately I've been saying " I hate these new rules, I wish they would leave the game alone ". Little did I know the game and rules keeps evolving like this.
Loved the dates. Lowering the mound hit w I was 15 as a pitcher. It sucked! And still does. We pitched whole games back then and Always Hit for ourselves ran or better yet stole bases to boot.
amen! same
Cool video, thanks
Awesome video thanks!
I love man ... keep it coming
Imagine if you could make your videos to 20 minutes on a subject. It would be amazing!
The first really unhittable Pitcher was Cy Young. He threw the first perfect game , and he did start playing in the 1890's.
We were having a thread about this year's season yesterday and how pitchers are getting away with using small amounts of sticky stuff again, and somehow the convo got to using glow-in-the-dark baseballs and using blacklights on the field.
The purists howl but the game will keep on altering.
More so Interleague Play, Expanded Playoffs and the Steroid Era Ruined The Game. It also would have been good to have All of The Teams in The U.S.
Not necessarily for the better however.
Very good work! I'd like to learn more about balls and strikes rules in the nineteenth century, perhaps up to the time of Willie Keeler and the bunting for a third strike rule.
Good idea for a video. "Strikeouts in the 19th century".
I've played vintage and modern baseball. No gloves, with gloves, It's still the perfect game.
I still wish the Reds would go back to that logo.
That really was superb. I think its easier to talk change in baseball than any other sport. Plus can we continue to count dead ball era, after knowing all this? They were forbidden from throwing overhand? Never knew that.
Have you read Keep Your Eye on the ball; A Study of the Physics of Baseball by Watts? Out of print but a must read. No you cannot have mine.
I have not read Keep Your Eye on the Ball. Thanks for the recommendation.
@@thebaseballprofessor it is delightful and begins the book with some historical accounts of thIs most wonderful of games.
There's some old video of Whitey Ford pitching. His fastball looks to me like it tops out at 88mph. It looks like batting practice.
Nice clip
beautiful
After 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher," where Bob Gibson had an 1.21 ERA and Denny McLain had 31 wins, MBL management went into panic mode to try to get more offense into the game. They lowered the mound six inches and shrank the strike zone. The effect was minimal. Pitchers adapted by using more of the lower part of the strike zone. But, as said previously, the batters went more for power and HRs instead of good contact and base hits. Thus, more strikeouts and catchable fly balls.
*1.12 ERA.
Loved it.
always interesting how rules changes affect statistics.
I've heard that leagues are experimenting on moving the pitchers mound back a foot or two. With many pitchers throwing over 100 mph and batting averages shrinking, I think that this could be a good solution to solve the hitting drought in the major and minor leagues.
You should consider making video about how World Series rewards were changed overtime, especially considering how initially it wasn't the rings that were awarded to players.
I'm planning a video about baseball salaries. Your comment reminds me of the significant financial rewards for winning the world series before free agency.
Neat! TIL that in its earliest form, pitching was meant to be "gentlemanly" and co-operative in spirit, to get the ball into play, despite the pitcher being on an opposing team! Then, one day, 'ole Jimmy Creighton says "They couldn't hit the ball, at all, if I threw my best instead of giving them softies right to their bat...I think I'll give that a whirl, and we'll probably win!"
I wonder if he realized at the time how much he would change the trajectory of the sport, and redefine it? Catchers also went from being glorified backstops who simply tossed the ball back to their pitcher to instead being key defensive shot callers, intelligence gathers on opposing batters, and working WITH the pitcher to produce outs. Crazy.
Great video. Subscribed!!!
Great stuff.
Old school baseball fan here ~ give me the strike zone as we had it from 1963-1969. No more DH. Relaxed balk rule. No more than 2 manager visits to the mound or pitcher gets DQ'd. Loosen up the ball so that it has less exit speed and distance when hit. 154 game schedule. Less time in between innings.
The one concession I'll make for the modern rules is the use of universal tie breaker in extra innings games.
I want the average game to be no more than 2 hours just like in the old days when baseball was FAR more fun than it is today.
Thank you for the information. I learned a couple new things. I think it's time for a change. They need to make the game more exciting. There are too many strikeouts. They need to get the ball in play like they used to when the game first started. I have been saying for several years now they need to limit the speed of the pitch to around 85 mph. If the ball exceeds that speed it is considered a ball no matter if it was in the strike zone or not.
You’re joking, right? If you want the game to be more exciting, then just move the pitching mound back a little more. Or, allow bats to be a larger diameter. Or, allow the ball to be woven tighter. Or, bring the bases closer together. Keep changing the rules of baseball and it will become a completely different game from what we grew up playing.
The thing is now, every pitcher and his first cousin coming out of the bullpen throw the ball at 98+ mph. Every era had its hard throwers but in the 2020s everybody is a hard thrower.
The contemporary age makes softer throwing MLB pitchers more interesting.
Excellent!!!
New sub…thought baseball was boring now it was way worse back then 😂
Great vid. Subbed.
MLB has asked the Atlantic League to test out a 61'6" mound. I think a possible change to the distance in mlb is coming due to low league wide batting averages.
Great Video! Thanks.... I like the history of the game. The current game - not so much.
One of the big reasons strikeouts are going up lately and batting averages down is the “hero ball syndrome” every one is trying to be the hero and hit home runs. This leads to worse batting averages for most hitters more strikeouts for pitchers and an increase in pop ups and ground outs due to poor bat/ball contact.
Pitchers were also called "hurlers" back in the day too.
Very true
I didn’t know any of these old time rules
another huge impact on pitching are medical improvements like TJ surgery...
Pitchers keep getting more and more spin rate for getting outs.,,, there I fixed it for you.
One big reason why batting averages are low is everyone swinging for the fences. The idea of ",hit 'em where they ain't" like willie keeler , dropping a bunt when the infielders are playing deep isn't as hitting 500 ft homeruns. "singles hitters drive chevies, homerun hitters drive Cadillacs" is still a belief. Guys who might hit ten a year still try to hit 50. If you add in a strike zine that's as usuve as unicorns. varying from umpire to umlire and the pitcher maintains the advantage. Ysed ti be, when I was a kid. the strike zone was the letters, or the armpit, to the knees. I've seen pitches at the belt called balls ( too high). Pitchers don't usually go more than 5-6 innings now, and a reliever throwing 90+ comes in, whete in the old days, pitchers were expected to pitch coplete games, and relievers were guys who couldn't be starters. either older ot sore armed. It's a different game now.
Quisenberry looked very hard to hit. Even today.
8.68 strikeouts per team, per game with few balls put into play summarizes perfectly why the game today has become unwatchable. A shame.
It's unwatchable because most games nowadays are night games and you never know how long it might last.
I clicked on a video about baseball's first unhittable pitcher. Who was it?
I wish that MLB would limit managers to using only 3 pitchers per game. This would eliminate the so-called "pitch clock" and would speed up games. It is ridiculous that pitchers who are pitching well (sometimes, a no-hitter) are pulled after 6 or 7 innings, and there are few complete games pitched anymore. It is deplorable that statistics of pitchers of today cannot be compared with those of the pre-pitch clock era, because part of the appeal of baseball is competition between players of today and those of yesteryear.