Something that is odd to me about baseball...

[Leroy Jenkins]

The game has very specific rules distances and dimensions. The bases are 90 feet, the rubber is 60 feet 6 inches from the plate. The strike zone is "the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's knees and the midpoint of their torso." The radius of skinned infield is 95 feet. the backstop is 60 feet from the plate. Pitching mound is 10 inches high and 18 feet in diameter. The pitching rubber is 18 inches back from the center of the mound. The flat area on top of the mound is 5 feet by 34 inches. The 6 inches in front of the pitching rubber is flat, and then begins to grade down one inch per foot. Home to 2nd base is 138 feet 3 3/8th inch etc, etc.

But, when it comes to how far you have to hit the ball in order to leave the yard and score, its very arbitrary. Its sort of like just build a park that fits on your available real-estate. I just think that's odd because we wouldn't do that with a football field, a soccer field, or a BBall court.

[Bdawg]

And with how baseball loves it's records, having a different size ball parks can really change some batting stats when comparing players. Makes me think, what if Rooker played at Kentucky. I know he would have had more career HRs because he had a lot of balls hit the wall his JR year at the dude. Interesting

[Leroy Jenkins]

And with how baseball loves it's records, having a different size ball parks can really change some batting stats when comparing players. Makes me think, what if Rooker played at Kentucky. I know he would have had more career HRs because he had a lot of balls hit the wall his JR year at the dude. Interesting

Pitching stats too.

[Dawg61]

I guess because way back when they invented baseball they left that part open for creativity which I actually like a lot. You get differences in parks that way. Red Sox fans woulda rioted if MLB made them lose the Green Monster.

[MedDawg]

The game has very specific rules distances and dimensions. The bases are 90 feet, the rubber is 60 feet 6 inches from the plate. The strike zone is "the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's knees and the midpoint of their torso." The radius of skinned infield is 95 feet. the backstop is 60 feet from the plate. Pitching mound is 10 inches high and 18 feet in diameter. The pitching rubber is 18 inches back from the center of the mound. The flat area on top of the mound is 5 feet by 34 inches. The 6 inches in front of the pitching rubber is flat, and then begins to grade down one inch per foot. Home to 2nd base is 138 feet 3 3/8th inch etc, etc.

But, when it comes to how far you have to hit the ball in order to leave the yard and score, its very arbitrary. Its sort of like just build a park that fits on your available real-estate. I just think that's odd because we wouldn't do that with a football field, a soccer field, or a BBall court.

I didn't know all that about the pitcher's mound. Is the backstop 60 feet from the plate a minimum or maximum? Some parks seem to have a lot more space behind the plate than others.

[Cooterpoot]

Well, home plate is 17 inches wide, but a guy with a 34 inch bat and 30+ in. arms can?t reach an outside pitch.

[I seen it dawg]

Def can't reach it if they never try to hit the ball the other way....

[Martianlander]

The game has very specific rules distances and dimensions. The bases are 90 feet, the rubber is 60 feet 6 inches from the plate. The strike zone is "the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's knees and the midpoint of their torso." The radius of skinned infield is 95 feet. the backstop is 60 feet from the plate. Pitching mound is 10 inches high and 18 feet in diameter. The pitching rubber is 18 inches back from the center of the mound. The flat area on top of the mound is 5 feet by 34 inches. The 6 inches in front of the pitching rubber is flat, and then begins to grade down one inch per foot. Home to 2nd base is 138 feet 3 3/8th inch etc, etc.

But, when it comes to how far you have to hit the ball in order to leave the yard and score, its very arbitrary. Its sort of like just build a park that fits on your available real-estate. I just think that's odd because we wouldn't do that with a football field, a soccer field, or a BBall court.

You make a good point but it would be next to impossible to standardize now.

[Todd4State]

Def can't reach it if they never try to hit the ball the other way....

Do you have someone specifically in mind?**

[Todd4State]

And with how baseball loves it's records, having a different size ball parks can really change some batting stats when comparing players. Makes me think, what if Rooker played at Kentucky. I know he would have had more career HRs because he had a lot of balls hit the wall his JR year at the dude. Interesting

My favorite baseball book is the year Babe Ruth hit 104 home runs. It talks about what you are talking about. Also back then interestingly enough if you hit the foul pole it was considered foul back then whereas now it's a home run.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Soccer fields actually vary in size too. Though it's usually by no more than about 5 yards in length or width.

[Dawg61]

Soccer fields actually vary in size too. Though it's usually by no more than about 5 yards in length or width.

MLS fields seems smaller to me than EPL ones. They just look different when watching. Idk if that's just me or what.

[Leroy Jenkins]

You make a good point but it would be next to impossible to standardize now.

Oh, Im not advocating any changes. I just thought it was odd that when for originators of baseball sat down and wrote out all these very specific, precise dimensions for the playing surface they get to the part where they determine how far you have to hit the ball to score and they said "fvck it, whatever".

[Bdawg]

My favorite baseball book is the year Babe Ruth hit 104 home runs. It talks about what you are talking about. Also back then interestingly enough if you hit the foul pole it was considered foul back then whereas now it's a home run.

Was the foul pole in foul territory a bit back then or lined up with chalk like today? And why is Babe not the single season HR leader? I wish he was.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

MLS fields seems smaller to me than EPL ones. They just look different when watching. Idk if that's just me or what.

The teams that play on football fields usually have very narrow fields if the field wasn?t built with soccer in mind too. NYCFC plays on a mini-field at Yankee Stadium. Even within the EPL there?s variation though. The biggest is 116.5x78 yards. Smallest is 110x70

[Todd4State]

Was the foul pole in foul territory a bit back then or lined up with chalk like today? And why is Babe not the single season HR leader? I wish he was.

I assume it was where it is now. Not 100% sure on that.

I think the reason that he's not the single season leader today is mainly because of the era he played in. Like the book pointed out there were different rules, ballparks in general were larger and therefore more difficult to hit a home run, they played a slightly shorter schedule back then, training wasn't the same as it is now and etc.

[Bdawg]

I assume it was where it is now. Not 100% sure on that.

I think the reason that he's not the single season leader today is mainly because of the era he played in. Like the book pointed out there were different rules, ballparks in general were larger and therefore more difficult to hit a home run, they played a slightly shorter schedule back then, training wasn't the same as it is now and etc.

Well his total HRs still stand. Well that settles it for me, with bigger ballparks and shorter schedules, I will recognize Babe as the single season leader. Over a 100 HRs!! Wow!! Thanks for informing me of that.