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tm1681 · 09-02-2023, 08:50 PM

THE PITCHER’S MOUND BECOMES STANDARD

There was one final set of changes to baseball ahead of the 1901 season.

The pitcher’s mound that Providence Saints coach Albert Tierney helped invent during the 1890s (mentioned here) was made standard by both the American Baseball Association and the National Base Ball Organization. Via telegram exchanges, both associations agreed to set the maximum height of the mound at fifteen inches (in real life, this happened in 1903 and not 1901), with the Southeastern & Atlantic League and the Canadian Baseball League quickly following suit. That put the total number of leagues going to a fifteen-inch mound for the 1901 season at ten when factoring in the brand-new Southern League.

While the new rules on the pitcher’s mound meant it could be built to a height lower than fifteen inches, it was widely presumed that no team would make use of such a mound unless a very particular pitcher demanded one for use by him when he pitched at home, due to the benefits higher mounds gave hurlers. So, the fifteen-inch mound was here to stay.

Between the new mound standards and continuing tinkering with bats and balls it was expected that batter output for 1901 would be a bit different, with some decreases in gap power in larger stadiums and higher home run output in smaller ones. The pitchers would still be left a bit better off by new mound standards.

09-02-2023, 08:50 PM	#96
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,472	THE PITCHER’S MOUND BECOMES STANDARD There was one final set of changes to baseball ahead of the 1901 season. The pitcher’s mound that Providence Saints coach Albert Tierney helped invent during the 1890s (mentioned here) was made standard by both the American Baseball Association and the National Base Ball Organization. Via telegram exchanges, both associations agreed to set the maximum height of the mound at fifteen inches (in real life, this happened in 1903 and not 1901), with the Southeastern & Atlantic League and the Canadian Baseball League quickly following suit. That put the total number of leagues going to a fifteen-inch mound for the 1901 season at ten when factoring in the brand-new Southern League. While the new rules on the pitcher’s mound meant it could be built to a height lower than fifteen inches, it was widely presumed that no team would make use of such a mound unless a very particular pitcher demanded one for use by him when he pitched at home, due to the benefits higher mounds gave hurlers. So, the fifteen-inch mound was here to stay. Between the new mound standards and continuing tinkering with bats and balls it was expected that batter output for 1901 would be a bit different, with some decreases in gap power in larger stadiums and higher home run output in smaller ones. The pitchers would still be left a bit better off by new mound standards. Last edited by tm1681; 09-02-2023 at 08:56 PM.