⚾️ #rules #foulball #briefhistory 📖 A brief history of the baseball pitcher. Originally the pitcher was supposed to pitch strikes only, allow the hitter to strike the orb in play. (Balls for Walks as high as 13 for years, then idealized around 1900!!) Eventually deception crept in, original Baseball purists were upset that a pitcher would strike out a batter via deception. “How uncivilized to deceive!” This led to an arms race of grip and slip and since it was customs to use 1 ball a game, 2 if absolutely necessary. The ball would often end up black by bottom of the first (pic.3). Include day games only, plus a long afternoon game or overcast and the ball was almost invisible out of the pitchers hand. Which brings us to Ray Chapman. August 8th, 1920 that all changed. An overcast afternoon game vs @yankees Carl Mays, a flame throwing submariner, used whatever he had to gum up the ball even darker and delivered an up-n-in seed to Chapman. Frozen he took the ball to the skull and died at Hospital. Umpires were issued the order for no discolored balls the very next day, fresh white balls only. So the rules for foreign substances on a baseball is a reminder of the dangers of the sport and forever linked to Ray. Clean it up. We got lucky with @kpillar11 📕 1994 Upper Deck & @pbs Baseball A Film By @kenburnspbs N°32 Ray Chapman (1920) #clevelandnaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #baseball #baseballcards #sportscards #vintagecards #moderncards #foreignsubstance #sticky #discoloredball #blackball #naplajoie #chapman #raychapman #vintagecollectables #krocfoundation #ohio #cleveland #naps #clevelandbaseball #kenburnsbaseball #kenburns #pbs #mccards #mlb #halloffamer #hof #upperdeck @mlb @generalmotors @baseballhall @mlbpa @mlbpaclubhouse (at MLB Headquarters) https://www.instagram.com/p/CP8yr--MISY/?utm_medium=tumblr
