THE "SLUGGING STYLE"...
AND THE NEW PITCHER'S MOUND
THE NEW PITCHER'S
MOUND...
The game was profoundly changed on March 7, 1893. The distance between the pitcher and the batter was increased to 60"6'. This is the same distance still in use. Another important change occured when the pitcher's box would be placed on a raised mound. Up until that time the pitcher pitced from a flat, level area.
This
illustration shows the original base ball diamond and fair and foul
territory. I have added the "50 feet between hurler and striker."
Originally the pitcher was called the "hurler" and the batter was
called the "striker." Notice the level pitcher's box, and the
semi-squatting catcher.
THE SLUGGING STYLE OF PLAY
The change in the distance from the batter to the pitcher, gave the batter a serious advantage. First, the pitcher would have to adapt to the new distance. It was a full 10'6" further than before. This new distance also gave the batter more time to see the ball and work on contact. Wise club owners and managers, saw this advantage and stocked up on slugging talent. The Baltimore Orioles and the Cleveland Spiders were the only ones to capitalize on this advantage. In 1894 the stocked their teams with sluggers. They won games by outscoring their oppopnents by a large margin, instead of stocking up on defensive talent. Their style worked. Both teams won Temple Cup Championships.