The move fundamentally changed the relationship to the batter, and changed much of the game with it - from the rule stipulating that batters could dictate where the pitch was thrown to the function of balls and strikes. Finally, in 1884, Cincinnati Red Stockings boss and "Father of Professional Baseball" Harry Wright made it official: Pitchers could deliver the ball any way they wanted. Presumably tired of getting shelled year after year, pitchers like Tommy Bond started pushing the envelope inch by inch, creating greater speed and movement with essentially sidearm deliveries - until, in 1872, the perpendicular rule was relaxed to allow for greater range of motion.Īt that point, all bets were off: Pitchers - recognizing that they could throw harder, locate better and throw more ferocious breaking balls - began to creep their release point all the way up to a three-quarters arm slot by the early 1880s. Their purpose was simple: Offer the ball up in a hittable position and get out of the way. Baseball evolved from other stick and ball games like cricket, so, like in those games, pitchers weren't originally intended to be in opposition to the batter. If that sounds like a pretty easy time for hitters, well, that was the point. (Incidentally, this is also why they're referred to as "pitchers" - they pitched the ball in the traditional sense of the term, with a stiff underhanded motion, almost like tossing a horseshoe.)
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