OT: When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

[OldRed]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

[RunSup]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

[OldRed]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

[sp25]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

[Wattage]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

correct. and the rulenhas been fixed to give homeruns now, butnifnyou have a runner on 3b or 2b, you will only get credit for howecer many basesbyou mafenit running before batter reachesbhome. for examoke, even if yoz hit a ball you probabky could get a tripke on with a runner on 1b, its just scored a single

[sp25]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

correct. and the rulenhas been fixed to give homeruns now, butnifnyou have a runner on 3b or 2b, you will only get credit for howecer many basesbyou mafenit running before batter reachesbhome. for examoke, even if yoz hit a ball you probabky could get a tripke on with a runner on 1b, its just scored a single

Curious that scoring a winning run from third on a ball that hits off the wall, e.g., a batter is credited with only a single and not a double. A residual of the early rule I suppose.

[Wattage]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

correct. and the rulenhas been fixed to give homeruns now, butnifnyou have a runner on 3b or 2b, you will only get credit for howecer many basesbyou mafenit running before batter reachesbhome. for examoke, even if yoz hit a ball you probabky could get a tripke on with a runner on 1b, its just scored a single

Curious that scoring a winning run from third on a ball that hits off the wall, e.g., a batter is credited with only a single and not a double. A residual of the early rule I suppose.

texhnically, you could trip and fall over on the way to 2b and the batter usually wont bither to run to 2b anyway.
and the game is technically over the second the runmer touches home so theres no reason to continue to 2b or the fielders to try and make a play to 2b.

[ecleme22]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

correct. and the rulenhas been fixed to give homeruns now, butnifnyou have a runner on 3b or 2b, you will only get credit for howecer many basesbyou mafenit running before batter reachesbhome. for examoke, even if yoz hit a ball you probabky could get a tripke on with a runner on 1b, its just scored a single

Curious that scoring a winning run from third on a ball that hits off the wall, e.g., a batter is credited with only a single and not a double. A residual of the early rule I suppose.

Interesting.

I guess the official scorer could use that to their discretion and give the hitter a double.

[zuck698]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

Had no idea Red. Interesting for sure. I am not a fan of some of the recent changes to the game I grew up with, but this gives me a different perspective of how it has been evolving the whole time. Thanks for the post.

[BleedingBleu]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Cool post, thanks!

I can’t help but smile thinking about players today trying to retrieve a foul ball or home run. We have situations like this occur in softball where we’re playing with similar restrictions, and randomly someone (or something) will swipe one of our game balls.

We recently won our 2nd league championship in a row. In the middle of an intense game where we just had nothing going our way and were trailing pretty big, one of our strongest hitters smoked the entry building’s roof at BMAC. Just a mammoth shot, but foul.

Someone’s dog was nearby and happened to retrieve it. The dog did as a dog would do… trotted to go get it, was coerced to bring it back, but decided it was his and plopped down to ravage it. It was pretty funny.

I credit that moment with loosening us up, and being the pivot point that allowed us to Rally and win it all

[sikeston bulldog2]

It gets better. Then someone coined foul balls- long strikes.

[JDW]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

But did Babe hit some bounce over (now ground rule doubles) HR's?
Idk, anybody?

[sp25]

When the Foul Ball Became a Strike Rule

Fouls Balls Led to Walks

The foul strike rule was first adopted by the National League in 1901 as a response to some players (most notoriously Roy Thomas) developing the ability to foul of pitch after pitch to force a walk. Rulesmakers thought that this upset the balance between hitting and pitching. It was also disruptive because umpires normally had only two game balls at a time, and balls fouled off into the stands had to be retrieved from spectators. The foul strike rule was adopted to penalize players for hitting too many fouls.

Leagues Differ
The American League did not adopt the foul strike league immediately, and the rules difference probably contributed to higher offense in the AL than NL in 1901 and 1902. The AL adopted the rule as part of the NL/AL peace agreement in the 1902-3 off-season. The adoption of the foul strike rule has been suggested as a possible contributor to decreased scoring in the Deadball Era.

Interesting. Thanks.

I will use this to wow my family with baseball nerd trivia and history this break. Just gotta find the right moment. They will be so impressed. I am going to win Christmas!!

Until some point in the 1920s or 1930s, balls that bounced over the fence were not considered to be “ground rule doubles”, they were counted as home runs.

And I learned recently on CT that batters were given credit for walk off hits only to the extent of the number of bases it took for the winning run to score. For example, if in a tie game, bottom of 9th, runner on second, a batter hitting a ball over the fence would only be credited with a 2-base hit, not a homer.

This apparently happened to Babe Ruth one time, so under current rules he would have had 715 home runs!

But did Babe hit some bounce over (now ground rule doubles) HR's?
Idk, anybody?

I have read that Ruth was never credited with a home run on what today would be a ground rule double.

[OldRed]

Here is another way to hit a Home Run.

https://www.mlb.com/video/canseco-s-blu ... c132120883