The History of the Baseball

by Ted Johnson

As the Ball Changed, So Did the Game

Pre-1872: Original Deadball Design

Core: Rubber, string-wrapped

Cover: Horsehide

Size: Anywhere between golfball and softball sized

Weight: From 3-6 oz.

Bottom Line: Played like it was stuffed with feathers-- soft and dead.

A rule change in 1872 established the weight and circumference standards that are still in existence today. weight: from 5 to 5.25 ounces. Circumference: 9 to 9.25 inches.

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1872: Standards

• Size: Standard 9.25 in. circumference
• Weight: Between 5 and 5.25 oz.
• Bottom Line: Weight and size are standardized for consistency, but play remains flat. Few home runs, many low-scoring games.

When the National League formed in 1876, it granted the Spalding Sporting Goods Company the exclusive right to supply the new ball.

The years prior to 1920 were known as the Deadball era as baseballs were specifically designed not to be lively. Home runs were rare and strategy revolved around moving runners from base to base via hit-and-run plays, bunts, sacrifices and stolen bases.

Reach Sporting Goods, founded in 1877, manufactured baseballs used by the Western League, which later would evolve into the American League. After Spalding acquired Reach in the late 19th century, Spalding operated the company as a subsidiary, but left the Reach name on the American League ball. The two balls were identical as they were manufactured at the same plant. Balls of this era were composed of a rubber core wrapped in layers of yarn and string and covered with horsehide.

In 1910, George Reach of Reach Sporting Goods discovered that a cork center produced a much livelier ball. The cork center ball was secretly introduced to the majors in the 1910 World Series.

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1910: Cork Saves the Play

• Core: Cork
• Bottom Line: Secretly put into play in the 1910 World Series, this ball was much livelier. Scoring jumped, and in 1911 the number of .300 hitters tripled. The Babe and other home run kings would rule.

The cork center baseball became the standard in Major League Baseball in 1911 and has been used since. This resulted in an explosion of offense. The number of .300 hitters tripled that year. Pitchers adjusted to the livelier ball by developing "freak" deliveries - spitballs, scuffballs and other doctored pitches.

Following World War I, Babe Ruth emerged as the pre-eminent slugger of the new Live Ball era. He hit 29 homers in 1919 and unheard of totals of 54 and 59 in '20 and '21. In addition, the number of .300 hitters continued to increase, almost doubling from 62 in 1920 to 113 in '21.

Baseball manufacturers, while insisting that the composition of the ball had not changed since 1910-11, offered four reasons for the increased offense.

1. The end of World War I meant the finest wool was available for manufacturing.
2. Skilled factory workers had returned from the war.
3. The home run feats of Babe Ruth prompted other players to abandon traditional hitting techniques.
4. A far greater number of white, unscuffed balls, which are easier to see and hit, were in play than prior years.

Three major changes in baseball culture resulted in more clean baseballs being used.

1. Prior to this era foul balls could be redeemed for free admission to another game and the returned balls were put back into play; about this time fans had started to keep foul balls, bringing new balls into play.
2. Freak deliveries were outlawed in 1920 to give the game more offense.
3. Umpires were replacing balls that showed the slightest scuff or wear, meaning that dirty baseballs were removed from play much sooner. This resulted in 20 to 60 balls being used per game, compared to three to four previously.

In 1921, umpires began rubbing the balls with special mud that reduced gloss and slickness without dirtying the ball.

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1931: Balance

• Core: Thin rubber wrapped around cork core
• Seams: Raised
• Bottom Line: These minor tweaks took some of the zing off the ball. The seams enabled pitchers to get more grip for better breaking balls.

In 1931, pitchers were given some recourse against the livelier ball when the ball changed again. A thin layer of rubber wrapped the cork center, slightly deadening the ball. The seams of the ball were raised as well to enable the pitcher to get a better grip on the ball for more rotation on breaking pitches.

Rawlings Sporting Goods started manufacturing baseballs in 1955 when Spalding bought it out. Both the American and National League balls were made by the same company though the American League balls were stamped with the Rawlings name and the National League balls were stamped with the Spalding name.

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1974: Cowhide

• Cover: Cowhide
• Bottom Line: For economic reasons, cowhide replaces horsehide in the cover.

Spalding was forced to sell Rawlings after an anti-trust investigation in 1968. Spalding continued to contract Rawlings to manufacture baseballs until 1973. Spalding manufactured MLB baseballs until 1976, when Rawlings took over all MLB manufacturing. Rawlings baseballs were produced in Taiwan and Haiti. Since 1990, Rawlings baseballs have been stitched in Costa Rica.

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Ted Johnson covered professional golf for 16 years as a journalist in east San Francisco, then as a freelance writer. His sports beats include the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A's, and Golden State Warriors. Johnson has his roots in youth sports, having proudly walked the sidelines of prep football and soccer, and reported on regional basketball and baseball. He lives in the Bay Area remains active with local youth sports teams.