Table of Contents
Foreword John Thorn ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: Who Makes the Rules and Why? xv
1 Premodern Baseball 1
2 Strikeouts and the Dropped Third Strike 9
3 Foul Territory and Dead Balls 17
4 Three-Out Innings 25
5 Tagging Runners, Nine Men, and Force Plays 29
6 Balks and Stolen Bases 37
7 Nine-Inning Games 43
8 The Diamond 49
9 The Fly Game 57
10 Tagging Up 63
11 Swift Pitching and the Balk 69
12 Called Strikes and the Base on Balls 77
13 Implementing Balls and Strikes 83
14 The Early Strike Zone 93
15 The Early Umpire 105
16 The Fielding Revolution 113
17 The Ball and Bat 121
18 Overrunning First Base 129
19 Extra Innings, Tie Games, and Suspended Games 135
20 Fair-Fouls and the Foul Pole 143
21 The Batter's Box 153
22 Curveballs and Overhand Pitching 157
23 The Modern Pitch Delivery and Balk 167
24 Hit by Pitch 181
25 Gloves and Mitts 187
26 Catchers' Equipment and the Catcher's Box 197
27 Four Balls and Three Strikes, Foul Tips, and the Modern Strike Zone 209
28 The Infield Fly Rule 215
29 The Modern Umpire 223
30 Player Substitutions 233
31 The Foul Strike 239
32 The Spitball 247
33 The Pitcher's Mound 253
34 The Designated Hitter 259
35 Video Replay Review 265
36 The Future 269
Notes 273
Bibliography 285
Index 289
About the Author 297
