How tall should a pitchers mound be

The pitcher depends on having good footing on the mound, and he may be injured he slips during his delivery. This is an especially serious problem when teams are playing in a rain that isn't quite severe enough to require a rain delay. The height of the mound has not been constant, or even well defined, through baseball history.

Before , the pitcher threw from a pitcher's box, which worked better with a level surface rather than a sloped one. In , the pitching distance was changed, and the box was replaced with the pitcher's rubber. Pitchers discovered that they could get more speed on the ball if they were allowed to stride downhill, so their groundskeepers would provide them with a mound.

In , the maximum height was set at 15 inches. Those early mounds were not regulated; in Pitching in a Pinch , Christy Mathewson commented that the height of the mound might be changed from day to day to suit the pitching style of the home team's pitcher. The regular changing of mound height was eventually prohibited. In , teams settled on a height of 15 inches for the mound. Despite this regulation, some teams were accused of using a higher than regulation height mound; Dodger Stadium was particularly notorious for having a high mound.

Following the incredibly low scoring in , the rules were changed to reduce the mound to the contemporary 10 inch height. Some accusations of gamesmanship with mounds continue, usually with visiting teams complaining that the mounds in the visitor's bullpen don't match the mound of the field, so that relievers entering the game aren't properly adapted to the game mound.

Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Are you a Stathead, too? Follow these simple steps to set up your pitching rubber: The pitching rubber is 24 inches long. Take a pencil and mark a line down the center. Take a string from the apex of home plate and extend it to the second base peg. Measure 60 feet 6 inches from the tip of home plate and sink a spike.

This marks the front of the rubber. Take a transit level and obtain a reading off home plate. The top of the pitching rubber must be 10 inches above home plate. BR Bullpen, 12 Oct. Gene Collier, Post-Gazette C. Apr 30, Lee, Matthew. Livestrong, 7 May Leggett, William. News Staff. Scientific Blogging, 23 Mar. MLB, n. Silverman, Steve.

Livestrong, 26 May Tomahawk Take 5 hours Atlanta Braves continue to add precious metals to the portfolio. More MLB News ».