Введение
Эпоха в истории бейсбола
В бейсболе эпоха "мертвого мяча" длилась примерно с 1900 по 1920 год. Эта эпоха характеризовалась малорезультативными играми и недостатком хоум-ранов; в 1908 году средний отбивающий в высшей лиге упал до .239, а команды в среднем набирали всего 3,4 очка за игру – это был самый низкий показатель за всю историю. Просторные стадионы ограничивали возможность сильных ударов, а сам мяч был "мертвым" как по конструкции, так и из-за чрезмерного использования. Бросателям разрешалось царапать и изменять мяч, особенно с помощью спитбола, что ставило отбивающих в невыгодное положение. Эпоха закончилась очень внезапно; к 1921 году нападение стало набирать на 40% больше очков и выбивать в четыре раза больше хоум-ранов, чем в 1918 году. Среди историков бейсбола нет единого мнения о причинах этих изменений.
Бейсбол в эпоху мертвого мяча
В эпоху "мертвого мяча" бейсбол был гораздо более стратегической игрой, использующей стиль игры, ныне известный как "малый мяч" или "инсайд-бейсбол". Он делал больший упор на такие розыгрыши, как кража баз и "хит-энд-ран", чем на хоум-раны. Эти стратегии подчеркивали скорость, возможно, по необходимости. Низкосильные удары, такие как "Балтиморский коп", разработанный в 1890-х годах "Балтиморскими Ориолс", использовались для выхода на базу. Оказавшись на базе, бегущий часто воровал или его выбивали на вторую базу, затем продвигали на третью базу или он забивал на "хит-энд-ране". Ни в какую другую эпоху команды не крали столько баз, как в эпоху "мертвого мяча". В 13 сезонах между 1900 и 1920 годами лидер лиги по хоум-ранам набирал менее 10 хоум-ранов за сезон; в четырех сезонах лидеры лиги набирали 20 или более хоум-ранов. При этом было 20 случаев, когда лидер лиги по триплам набирал 20 или более. Оуэн "Шиф" Уилсон установил рекорд в 36 триплов в 1912 году, который, вероятно, является одним из нерушимых рекордов бейсбола, как и 309 триплов за карьеру Сэма Кроуфорда, установленных в этот период. Несмотря на скорость, командам было трудно забивать в эпоху "мертвого мяча". Средний процент отбивания в Высшей лиге колебался от .260 в Национальной лиге (NL) до .270 в Американской лиге (AL). Недостаток мощи в игре также означал более низкие проценты слаггинга и выхода на базу, поскольку питчеры могли более уверенно бросать вызов отбивающим, не опасаясь хоум-рана. Наиболее низкий уровень эпохи "мертвого мяча" пришелся на 1908 и 1909 годы, когда средний процент отбивания в лиге составил .230, процент слаггинга – .300, а средний показатель заработанных пробежек (ERA) был ниже 2,40. В последний из этих годов "Чикаго Уайт Сокс" забили всего три хоум-рана за весь сезон, но завершили сезон с результатом 88–64, всего в нескольких играх от победы в чемпионате. Некоторые игроки и болельщики жаловались на малорезультативные игры, и руководство лиги попыталось исправить ситуацию. В 1909 году Бен Шиб изобрел мяч с пробковой сердцевиной, который компания Reach Company – официальный поставщик мячей для Американской лиги – начала продавать. Spalding, материнская компания Reach, которая отдельно поставляла мячи для Национальной лиги, последовала за ней, выпустив собственный мяч с пробковой сердцевиной. Изменение мяча резко повлияло на игру в обеих лигах. В эту эпоху Фрэнк Бейкер получил прозвище "Хоум-ран" Бейкер только за то, что в Мировой серии 1911 года выбил два хоум-рана; хотя он четыре раза (1911–1914) возглавлял Американскую лигу по хоум-ранам, его лучший сезон по хоум-ранам был 1913 год, когда он выбил 12 хоум-ранов, и он завершил карьеру с 96 хоум-ранами. Лучшим хоум-ран-биттером эпохи "мертвого мяча" был аутфилдер "Кактус" Гавви Крэват из "Филадельфия Филлис", который шесть раз возглавлял Национальную лигу по хоум-ранам, с максимальным результатом в 24 хоум-рана для "Филлис", выигравших чемпионат, в сезонах 1913 и 1914 годов, а также по 19 хоум-ранов в 1913 и 1914 годах. Однако Крэват играл в огромном "Бейкер Боуле", который, несмотря на расстояние в 341 фут (104 м) до левого поля и 408 футов (124 м) до центра, был печально известен как парк, дружественный к отбивающим, с небольшим расстоянием в 280 футов (85 м) от домашней базы до правой стены поля.
Правило "неправильного удара"
Правило засчитывания фолов как страйков стало важным изменением в правилах, которое всего за несколько лет превратило бейсбол из игры с большим количеством очков в игру, где набрать даже одно очко было непросто. Согласно этому правилу, если бьющий отбивает мяч в фол, ему засчитывается страйк, если у него еще нет двух страйков против него. Национальная лига приняла правило засчитывания фолов как страйков в 1901 году, а Американская лига последовала ее примеру в 1903 году. До введения этого правила фолы не считались страйками. Таким образом, бьющий мог отбивать бесконечное количество мячей в фол, не получая страйков, за исключением попыток бантинга, которые давали бьющим огромное преимущество до внедрения правила засчитывания фолов как страйков.
Конструкция и использование шаров
До 1921 года бейсбольный мяч часто оставался в игре более 100 подач. Игроки использовали один и тот же мяч, пока он не начинал разваливаться. Ранние бейсбольные лиги были очень бережливы, поэтому болельщикам приходилось возвращать мячи, выбитые на трибуны. Чем дольше мяч находился в игре, тем он становился мягче — и бить сильно использованный, мягкий мяч на дальность гораздо сложнее, чем новый, более твердый. Кроме того, сам мяч изначально был мягче, что делало хоум-раны менее вероятными.
Сплетни
Также мяч было сложно отбивать, поскольку питчеры могли изменять его перед подачей. Например, подача "спитбола" была разрешена в бейсболе до 1921 года. Питчеры часто наносили на мяч метки, царапали его, плевали – всё, что угодно, чтобы повлиять на его траекторию. Это заставляло мяч сильно "танцевать" и изгибаться, гораздо больше, чем сейчас, что затрудняло отбивание. К мячу часто добавляли табачный сок, который изменял его цвет. Это затрудняло его видимость, особенно учитывая, что освещения на бейсбольных стадионах не было до конца 1930-х годов. Это усложняло как отбивание, так и игру в поле.
Размер стадиона
Многие стадионы были большими по современным меркам, например, "Вест-Сайд Граундс" (West Side Grounds) Чикагских Кабс, где расстояние до центральной ограды составляло 560 футов (171 метр), и "Ханттингтон-Авеню Граундс" (Huntington Avenue Grounds) Бостонских Ред Сокс, где расстояние до центральной ограды составляло 635 футов (194 метра). Размеры поля "Брейвс Филд" (Braves Field) заставили Тай Кобба сказать, что никто и никогда не сможет выбить мяч за его пределы.
Конец эпохи
Эра мертвых мячей внезапно закончилась. К 1921 году нападение стало забивать на 40% больше пробежек и выбивать в четыре раза больше хоум-ранов, чем в 1918 году. Историки бейсбола спорят о резкости этого изменения, не придя к единому мнению о его причине. Было выдвинуто шесть популярных теорий:
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Изменения в мяче: Эта теория утверждает, что владельцы заменили мяч на более новый, "живой" мяч (иногда называемый мячом "jackrabbit"), предположительно с намерением увеличить результативность и, как следствие, продажи билетов. Эта теория была опровергнута Главной лигой бейсбола. Пряжа, используемая для обмотки ядра мяча, была изменена перед сезоном 1920 года, хотя тестирование Бюро стандартов США не выявило различий в физических свойствах двух типов мячей. Так называемый "более живой" мяч был фактически представлен в 1911 году, когда лига начала использовать мяч с пробковой сердцевиной вместо резиновой, и в том году общее количество хоум-ранов составило 514, по сравнению с 361 в предыдущем сезоне. Фрэнк Шульте стал первым игроком XX века, достигшим двадцати хоум-ранов за сезон.
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Запрет определенных подач: Подачи, которые теперь считаются незаконными согласно Правилу 6.02(c) MLB, были запрещены. Это включало в себя блестящий мяч (shine ball), мяч с наждаком (emery ball) и спитбольный мяч (spitball) – очень эффективную подачу в эпоху мертвых мячей. Эта теория утверждает, что без таких эффективных подач в арсенале питчера, бьющие получили преимущество. Когда спитбольный мяч был запрещен в 1920 году, MLB признала семнадцать питчеров, которые построили свою карьеру, специализируясь на спитболе, и разрешила им продолжать его использовать; последний питчер, которому это было разрешено, Берли Граймс, играл до конца 1934 года.
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Больше мячей в игре: Трагическая гибель шортстопа "Кливленд Индианс" Рэя Чапмана в августе 1920 года привела к правилу, согласно которому мяч должен заменяться каждый раз, когда он загрязняется. С чистым мячом в игре игрокам больше не приходилось сталкиваться с мячом, который "непредсказуемо летел по воздуху, имел тенденцию смягчаться к концу иннинга и был очень трудно увидеть, когда он проходил мимо отбивающего".
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Статистика и изменения правил: В 1920 году основные лиги приняли предложение писателя Фреда Либа о том, чтобы хоум-ран, приносящий победу при занятых базах, считался хоум-раном, даже если этот пробег не нужен для победы. Владельцы безуспешно пытались отменить намеренный уход от подачи (intentional walk). Им удалось лишь изменить правила, чтобы требовать, чтобы кетчер находился в зоне кетчера, когда питчер бросает, и чтобы все, что произошло в протестуемой игре, было добавлено в протокол игры. (С 1910 по 1919 год результаты протестуемых игр исключались из статистики.)
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Бейб Рут: Одна из теорий заключается в том, что феноменальный успех Бейба Рута в выбивании хоум-ранов побудил игроков по всей лиге отказаться от своих старых методов отбивания (описанных выше) и принять стиль "свободного замаха", предназначенный для сильного удара по мячу с верхней траекторией, с целью выбивать больше хоум-ранов. Критики этой теории утверждают, что она не учитывает улучшение процента отбивания с 1918 по 1921 год, за это время средний показатель лиги улучшился.
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.
Размеры стадионов: Эта теория утверждает, что увеличение результативности связано с изменениями в размерах стадионов. Однако точные оценки размеров стадионов той эпохи трудно найти, поэтому существуют разногласия относительно того, изменились ли размеры вообще, и привело ли это изменение к увеличению результативности. Правило, принятое в сезоне 1920 года, гласило, что мячи, выбитые за забор на территории, считающейся fair, но приземлившиеся в foul territory, считаются fair, то есть хоум-ранами, а не foul balls.
Changes in the ball: This theory claims that owners replaced the ball with a newer, livelier ball (sometimes referred to as the "jackrabbit" ball), presumably with the intention of boosting offense and, by extension, ticket sales. The theory has been rebutted by Major League Baseball. The yarn used to wrap the core of the ball was changed prior to the 1920 season, although testing by the United States Bureau of Standards found no difference in the physical properties of the two different types of balls. The so called "livelier" ball was actually introduced in 1911, when the league began using a cork centered ball, as opposed to rubber, and that year the number of total home runs was 514, having been 361 the previous season. Frank Schulte became the first player of the 20th century to reach twenty home runs in a season. Outlawing certain pitches: Pitches now considered illegal, per MLB Rule 6.02(c), were outlawed. This included the shine ball, emery ball, and spitball (a very effective pitch throughout the dead ball era). This theory states that without such effective pitches in the pitcher's arsenal, batters gained an advantage. When the spitball was outlawed in 1920, MLB recognized seventeen pitchers who had built their careers specializing in the spitball and permitted them to continue using it; the last pitcher allowed to do so, Burleigh Grimes, pitched until the end of 1934. More baseballs per game: The fatal beaning of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in August 1920 led to a rule that the baseball must be replaced every time that it got dirty. With a clean ball in play at all times, players no longer had to contend with a ball that "traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Stat keeping and rule changes: In 1920, the major leagues adopted writer Fred Lieb's proposal that a game winning home run with men on base count as a home run, even if its run is not needed to win the game. Owners tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the intentional walk. They succeeded only in changing the rules to require that the catcher be within the catcher's box when the pitcher throws‚ and that everything that happened in a protested game was added to the game record. (From 1910 to 1919‚ records in protested games were excluded.) Babe Ruth: One theory is that the prolific success of Babe Ruth at hitting home runs led players around the league to forsake their old methods of hitting (described above) and adopt a "free swinging" style designed to hit the ball hard and with an uppercut stroke, with the intention of hitting more home runs. Critics of this theory claim that it does not account for the improvement in batting averages from 1918 to 1921, over which time the league average improved Ballpark dimensions: This theory contends that offensive success came from changes in the dimensions of the ballparks. Accurate estimates of ballpark sizes of the era can be difficult to find, however, so there is disagreement over whether the dimensions changed at all, let alone whether the change led to improved offense. A 1920 season rule change stated that balls hit over the fence in fair territory but landing foul were fair, and hence home runs rather than foul balls.