Early Rules
- Pitchers were restricted to underhand pitching until 1884. They delivered the ball from inside a "box", whose front line was 50 feet from home plate.
- Between 1879 and 1889, the number of balls required to walk a batter went from 9 to 8 to 6 to 7 to 5 and then to 4 balls.
- Batters were allowed to call for a high- or low-pitched ball between 1871 and 1887.
- It was four strikes to put out a batter in 1887, a rule that lasted only 1 year.
- Catching a foul ball is an out - but before 1883, it could bounce once.
- Spitballs were allowed until 1920.
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