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RULE CHANGES & CLARIFICATIONS FOR 1867
BALL SIZE DISCUSSED; PITCHER’S AREA & MOVEMENT CLARIFIED; BAT LENGTH DISCUSSED

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 13, 1867) – The NBBO Executive Committee took the first two days of its 1867 Spring Meeting to undertake the difficult discussion of payments to players. With that out of the way, it was time for the normal business of the NBBOEC: changes to rules, regulations, & schedules, of which there were three notable events.

First up: discussion on the size of the ball. Until this point, there could be a noticeable variance in size from ball to ball when playing a game. The ball was to weigh from 5.5 to 6 ounces, but the circumference of the ball could be anywhere from 8 to 11 inches, a 37% difference. The standards of the game ball were tightened a bit, with the NBBECO writing the following:

“The ball must weigh not less than five and one-half, nor more than five and three-fourths ounces, avoirdupois. It must measure not less than nine and one-half, nor more than nine and three-fourths inches in circumference. It must be com-posed of India rubber and yarn, and covered with leather, and, in all match games, shall be furnished by the challenging club, and become the property of the winning club as a trophy of victory.”

The standard weight of the ball had been tightened further so there could be very little variance, but the regulation circumference of the ball was REALLY tightened up. Instead of a possible three-inch variance from ball to ball, there would now be a maximum possible difference of 1/4 inch.

Also in the updated regulation ball rules: the visiting team would provide game balls instead of the home team – the home team already had their advantage – and every ball had to be composed of India rubber & yarn with a leather covering.

Why were the changes to the ball so important? For one thing, they gave base ball the look of a more formally organized sport. If the centerpiece of the sport itself could vary so much from day to day, game to game, or venue to venue, it would continue to give off the appearance of a loosely organized, only somewhat serious competition. With the makeup of the ball itself now having rigorous standards, the sport itself was now becoming more formally regulated.

Second on the docket: the movement of the pitcher and the dimensions of his space to pitch from. Up to this point, pitchers had to deliver the ball from somewhere between two lines drawn a set distance from home plate, first 45’ & 48’ in 1862 and then 45’ & 49’ in 1863. Both lines were 12’ wide. This area was known as the Pitcher’s Area.

The NBBOEC cut the width of the Pitcher’s Area in half, from 12’ to 6’, while keeping the distance of the lines from home plate the same. This meant that pitchers could no longer deliver the ball to the batsman from a noticeable angle, but to make up for it the pitchers were given something new: the pitcher could move around inside the area prior to delivering the ball instead of choosing one point and staying there until the pitch out of his hand.

The new size of the Pitcher’s Area would offer benefits to both pitchers and batters alike, while standardizing the playing of the sport a bit more.

There were not many pitchers that used the extreme edges of the 12’ Pitcher’s Area, at least not the star pitchers, so this change would not have a massive effect on the game.

The third, and final, matter of discussion: bats. Five years ago, bats were regulated for the first time. Until the spring of 1862 a batsman could bring pretty much anything he wanted to the plate so long as it was made of wood – any length, any width, any shape, any weight – but then the NBBOEC decreed that bats could be no more than 2.5 inches in diameter. Some clubs wanted there to be tightening of the bat regulations similar to those of the game ball, again so the sport would take on a more formal, uniform look. Others argued that so long as the players furnish their own equipment they should be allowed to bring in whatever kind of bat they fell comfortable swinging, provided it met the diameter requirements. The latter won the discussion, and work to perhaps curtail bat length was tabled for another year.

In the end, the NBBOEC discussions were productive, with the following being made official:

1. Variance of game ball weight was reduced from 5.5-6 oz. to 5.5-5.75 oz.
2. Variance of game ball circumference was reduced from 8-11 in. to 9.5-9.75 in.
3. Game balls must all be made an India rubber & yarn core
4. Game balls must all have a leather outer covering
5. The width of the Pitcher’s Area was cut in half, from 12’ to 6’
6. Pitchers could move around the Pitcher’s Area before making a delivery to the batsman

The new regulations were sent out to every club with the expectation that all 48 would be well-versed on them far before the start of the 1867 season in May. The discussion on bat length was already inked in as item number one for the NBBOEC Spring Meeting in 1868.