The Dead Ball Era

[CH David]

So for you baseball fans out there, you know what the Dead Ball Era was. It was the era where the emphasis of the game was on speed, pitching, and defense, and less on home runs and one's own statistics. The exact time frame of the Dead Ball Era is debated, it could either be the beginning of baseball, or the official formation of the Major Leagues in 1901.

Pitchers had a huge advantage during this time. They used the same ball until it started to unravel, which included retrieving balls hit into the crowd. They could scuff the ball, make marks on the ball, and use the spitball, which all added to making the ball react more before it reached the batter. Another advantage was the foul strike rule. This is going back to the beginning of baseball, batters could hit foul balls, but they wouldn't count as strikes, until the NL adopted the rule in 1901 and the AL in 1903 which made fouls count as strikes. Another factor was that the fields were huge. West Side Grounds was 560 feet to center field, and Huntington Avenue Grounds was 635 feet to center.

What caused it to end? A multitude of things contributed to the end of the Dead Ball Era. One rule changed was the banning of the spitball, as well as scuffing the ball. Another was that they decided to use new balls every time one got dirty, (haha dirty balls) sorry just a little childish humor. The decision to do this was the unfortunate death of Ray Chapman, who was hit in the head by a ball and died because of it. This made sure that the ball would be new so that players could actually see the ball when it was thrown. Lastly, ballpark dimensions began shrinking, as people started becoming infatuated with the home run.

I will get into more of this when people want to talk about it. And I may start a few other threads about the progression of baseball. So a question to think about, do you prefer the current era we are in now, with home runs being amazing, or would you prefer the days when smart ball ruled the field? I love the latter, simply because pitching and defense win games. Home runs are showy, but I love truly gritty players, and moving runners over and getting timely hits. What are your thoughts?

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I do agree that the Dead Ball Era died with the elimination of scuffing the ball and the decreasing size of baseball fields. You hear of people, specifically baseball writers, wanting to put asterisks on those who are eligible to get in the Hall of Fame because they used steroids. Shouldn't they also put asterisks on those who pitched in the Dead Ball Era because they were cheating as well. If you take the Steroid Era players and put them in the Dead Ball Era, I think they would have succeeded. I don't know about the other way around but it had been said if Babe Ruth played today, he would have hitten 1000 home runs. It's much easier to hit home runs nowadays that the numbers may be distorted out of context but this is the generation we live in and home runs will keep being hit in record numbers, especially at Yankee Stadium.

 

[klunderbunker]

What killed the dead ball era? I'd say among other things, Babe Ruth. He came in and completely changed the way the game was played. No one had ever come close to blasting shots out like he had and it made pitchers have to pitch differently. Also, when people saw him come out there with a different style, which was to hit the ball as hard and far as they could, they in turn changed their style as well. Also, the advent of bringing in new balls more often helped a lot too. Back in the day you would use the same ball for longer periods of time. Fans had to throw balls back into play as well. This led to the ball being worn down and therefore less aerodynamic. Around 1920 the rule was changed, allowing for fresh baseballs to be used, which weren't worn out so fast and could fly farther.

Also, the pitchers that used spit balls shouldn't have asterisks. Why hould they when they were following the rules of their time?

 

[CH David]

What killed the dead ball era? I'd say among other things, Babe Ruth. He came in and completely changed the way the game was played. No one had ever come close to blasting shots out like he had and it made pitchers have to pitch differently. Also, when people saw him come out there with a different style, which was to hit the ball as hard and far as they could, they in turn changed their style as well. Also, the advent of bringing in new balls more often helped a lot too. Back in the day you would use the same ball for longer periods of time. Fans had to throw balls back into play as well. This led to the ball being worn down and therefore less aerodynamic. Around 1920 the rule was changed, allowing for fresh baseballs to be used, which weren't worn out so fast and could fly farther.

Also, the pitchers that used spit balls shouldn't have asterisks. Why hould they when they were following the rules of their time?

Exactly KB. There weren't many rules prohibiting what could be done with the ball. They were able to use that small little emery board to scuff the ball even. But there are rules now saying steroids are illegal and such, so why should they be put in the Hall of Fame? Long live Hank Aaron, our true home run king. I digress. Back to the topic at hand, I think I mentioned that a player was hit in the head and died, which also keyed the change for using newer balls. Which would you prefer KB? Do you prefer the way the game is played now, more emphasis on home runs, or back then, with smart ball?

 

[Cowboyfromhell]

I don't know if I prefer either era. I think the era I would have enjoyed watching more would have been before they lowered the mound, I'm not going to look this up but I think it was either 68 or 69, because Bob Gibson had an E.R.A of 1.12. So they lowered the mound to take some of the advantage away from the pitcher.
Pitchers also stopped throwing inside somewhere down the line, maybe when morons started charging the mound.
So I think they should raise the mound back to where it was, eliminate all the body armor hitters wear, and increase the penalties if a batter charges the mound. We would have a lot more 3-2 ball games then, which I think are more enjoyable than slug fests.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

They also changed the type of ball that was used. In 1911, they added a cork to the middle of the baseball, and the average batting average in the league increased .40 points. Ty Cobb had the best season of his life following that, racking 248 hits for a .420 batting average. Shoeless Joe hit .408. Pitchers regained control in 1914, though, when a ball was accidentally scuffed and it was discovered that the scuffed ball would move erratically. That, coupled with the spitball, gave the pitchers almost complete control of the game. In 1919, the dead ball era ended. Babe Ruth pumped 29 home runs, a spectacular feat, and fans fell in love with the long ball. There are rumors that owners changed the type of ball to increase power and ticket sales, using a different yarn to wrap the ball. This is referred to as the jackrabbit ball.

As has been mentioned, spitballs and scuffed balls were outlawed. More balls were used a game. The intentional walk was outlawed. Game winning home runs with runners on base, was counted as a home run, rather than simply what was required to win. While it can't be confirmed, it has been said that park dimensions also shrunk. The dead ball era was over.

 

[CH David]

They also changed the type of ball that was used. In 1911, they added a cork to the middle of the baseball, and the average batting average in the league increased .40 points. Ty Cobb had the best season of his life following that, racking 248 hits for a .420 batting average. Shoeless Joe hit .408. Pitchers regained control in 1914, though, when a ball was accidentally scuffed and it was discovered that the scuffed ball would move erratically. That, coupled with the spitball, gave the pitchers almost complete control of the game. In 1919, the dead ball era ended. Babe Ruth pumped 29 home runs, a spectacular feat, and fans fell in love with the long ball. There are rumors that owners changed the type of ball to increase power and ticket sales, using a different yarn to wrap the ball. This is referred to as the jackrabbit ball.

As has been mentioned, spitballs and scuffed balls were outlawed. More balls were used a game. The intentional walk was outlawed. Game winning home runs with runners on base, was counted as a home run, rather than simply what was required to win. While it can't be confirmed, it has been said that park dimensions also shrunk. The dead ball era was over.

Yeah PYT, Wikipedia is good stuff. I'm not giving you crap, because I used it too. But the cork in the middle of the ball only helped until pitchers figured out that they could scuff the ball. Once that happened, pitchers regained the advantage. It appears no one seems to like the old style of the game of speed and defense except me.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Also, the pitchers that used spit balls shouldn't have asterisks. Why hould they when they were following the rules of their time?

Steroids weren't banned by baseball until 2004. Bonds hit 71 in 2003, so no asterik for him either? I agree.


Anyway, the Dead Ball era ended when the makeup of the ball was changed. Cork was introduced as a core to the ball. In the dead ball era, the balls was similar to a tightly wound bean bag.

The best players of the era were Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb. Both are at the top of many offensive categories to this day. The fact that these guys could hit .400 with a ball that, when socked, might fly 125 feet was quite impressive. Bunts, infield hits, and other things now called "National League Baseball" were key components of the early game. The Tigers, Yankees, Phillies, and many other teams still exist and thrive today. It is hard to imagine that these teams today were bunt and run teams 100 years ago.

 

[CH David]

Ty Cobb was simply crazy. But you know something that no one has mentioned yet during the Dead Ball Era? Freaking Cy Young. He has his own award named after him, and it is the most prestigious award that a pitcher can be awarded. No one will ever break his record of 500+ wins, and hell even 300+ losses. That is over 800 decisions for him in 22 years. To think of something like that nowadays is simply amazing. No one will ever beat those records, they would either have to win 20+ games a year for 20 years or more to beat that. He was 22 and pitched over 7,500 innings, started 815 games, and had 749 complete games. Those numbers nowadays are impossible. Hell a complete game is a good feat to do now. They would routinely pitch over 300 or 400 innings a year back then. Now it is an accomplishment to pitch over 200. Pitchers in the Dead Ball Era, and hell into maybe as late as 60's, to pitch as much as they did, for as long as they did is ridiculous.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Ty Cobb was simply crazy. But you know something that no one has mentioned yet during the Dead Ball Era? Freaking Cy Young. He has his own award named after him, and it is the most prestigious award that a pitcher can be awarded. No one will ever break his record of 500+ wins, and hell even 300+ losses. That is over 800 decisions for him in 22 years. To think of something like that nowadays is simply amazing. No one will ever beat those records, they would either have to win 20+ games a year for 20 years or more to beat that. He was 22 and pitched over 7,500 innings, started 815 games, and had 749 complete games. Those numbers nowadays are impossible. Hell a complete game is a good feat to do now. They would routinely pitch over 300 or 400 innings a year back then. Now it is an accomplishment to pitch over 200. Pitchers in the Dead Ball Era, and hell into maybe as late as 60's, to pitch as much as they did, for as long as they did is ridiculous.

That is another huge difference between then and today. Players, especially pitchers, get babied so much. I understand that pitching is hell on the elbow and shoulder, but I truly believe that baseball pitchers, especially starters, are the biggest *****es in sports. I respect what they do since I know I can't do it, but they get babied a ridiculous amount. I remember hearing a story on SportsCenter a few weeks back of a college starting pitcher in like D-3 or lower pitching in multiple games over 2 days. It was a huge deal, but back then, it was the norm.

 

[CH David]

Exactly, in the 1917 World Series, Eddie Cicotte and Red Faber pitched 50 of the 52 innings played. Even the 4 complete games from the White Sox in the 2005 ALCS was something that hadn't been done in years. I mean back then, the bullpen was usually reserved for former starters who couldn't go that well anymore. Now it is a specialist in the bullpen. Dead Ball Era was an awesome era for pitching. Does anyone even remember that when Babe Ruth started playing baseball, that he was a pitcher? He wasn't a bad one either.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Babe Ruth was 99-20 in his career. I think he still holds World Series pitching records for ERA and innings per start.

His career ERA is something like 1.20, off the top of my head. I think that Babe Ruth would have gone down as a top five all time pitcher if he didn't hit so well.

 

[CH David]

Something like that FTS. They moved him to right field because they wanted his bat in the lineup everyday instead of every 4 or 5 when he pitched. Crazy how things happen like that, the man that revolutionized the game of baseball hittingwise was a pitcher lol. He could have been traded to the White Sox and not the Yankees after 1918, but the Red Sox wanted just cash and not players, which is what the Yankees did. Imagine it, the greatest player to play in Chicago and not New York. White Sox could have been the dynasty then. Damn that Chuck Comiskey for being a greedy fuck. Lol.

 

[Cowboyfromhell]

Let's not forget only whites played in the dead ball era. Imagine what the level of play would have been like had anyone with talent been allowed to play.

 

[CH David]

Let's not forget only whites played in the dead ball era. Imagine what the level of play would have been like had anyone with talent been allowed to play.

That sounds like you are saying white people have/had no talent. I don't want to make this racist because this isn't. But from the sound of what you wrote, you are saying people like Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Shoeless Joe Jackson (before the scandal), Cy Young, Red Faber, Ty Cobb, among a whole bunch of other players, had no talent. If that is what I am hearing, then you are sadly mistaken. Now this is not a racial thread, don't turn it that way. I will get into the color barrier being broken in another thread, but not here, so don't start bullshit like this.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

That sounds like you are saying white people have/had no talent. I don't want to make this racist because this isn't. But from the sound of what you wrote, you are saying people like Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Shoeless Joe Jackson (before the scandal), Cy Young, Red Faber, Ty Cobb, among a whole bunch of other players, had no talent. If that is what I am hearing, then you are sadly mistaken. Now this is not a racial thread, don't turn it that way. I will get into the color barrier being broken in another thread, but not here, so don't start bullshit like this.

He meant that were could have been very talented blacks out there as well. While hitters with the skill level of Robinson, Bonds, Mays, Jackson, or Griffey certainly would have excelled, the era wouldn't have been any different. It was a pitchers game and power was an after-thought at the plate.

 

[CH David]

He meant that were could have been very talented blacks out there as well. While hitters with the skill level of Robinson, Bonds, Mays, Jackson, or Griffey certainly would have excelled, the era wouldn't have been any different. It was a pitchers game and power was an after-thought at the plate.

Oh I know he meant what it could have been like with talented black players. But the way he said it, it was like he was saying white players had no talent. So I called him on it, and I won't apologize for it. I will say this though, Bob Gibson probably would have had an even more insane career if he was able to play during the Dead Ball Era.

If Bonds were to excel, it would have been when he first came into the league, not the later stages of his career. Griffey could run and field and would have fit in amazingly, same with Mays and Jackie. Willie, Jr., and Bonds would not have had any of the same home run numbers they have. Some of their home runs barely cleared 312 feet. Back then they had to clear 400-500 feet. But they would have had more steals, more doubles and more triples as well.

 

[Cowboyfromhell]

I didn't mean it to sound like the whites that played didn't have talent, it was supposed to convey the point that there were a lot of talented ball players that weren't allowed to play. We were comparing eras, now to dead ball, so I just wanted to make the point that the dead ball era would have been that much more exciting. Imagine if Josh Gibson would have been able to play, he's always been called "the black Babe Ruth", so it would have been nice to see how they would have matched up. And to see Satchel Paige in the bigs before he was nearly 50.
It wasn't meant to sound like the white players were scrubs.