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In the history ofMajor League Baseball (MLB), thedead-ball era was a twenty-year period, roughly from 1900 to 1920, in which run scoring was low and home runs were exceedingly rare. In 1908, the major leaguebatting average dropped to .239, and teams averaged just 3.4runs per game, the lowest ever. Spacious ballparks limited hitting for power, and theball itself was "dead" both by design and from overuse.Ball scuffing and adulteration bypitchers, particularly thespitball, were allowed, putting hitters at a disadvantage.
The era ended very suddenly; by 1921, offenses were scoring 40% more runs and hitting four times as many home runs as they had in 1918. There is no consensus among baseball historians as to why, but part of the reason lay in rule changes that promoted scoring, such as alterations of ballpark dimensions and the banning of certain pitches.
During the dead-ball era, baseball was much more of a strategy-driven game, using a style of play now known assmall ball orinside baseball. It relied much more on plays such asstolen bases andhit-and-run than onhome runs.[1] These strategies emphasized speed, perhaps by necessity.
Low-power hits like theBaltimore chop, developed in the 1890s by theBaltimore Orioles, were used to get on base.[2] Once on base, arunner would often steal or bebunted over to second base, then move to third base or score on a hit-and-run play. In no other era have teams stolen as many bases as in the dead-ball era.
On 13 occasions between1900 and1920, the league leader in home runs had fewer than 10 home runs for the season; on four occasions the league leaders had 20 or more home runs. Meanwhile, there were 20 instances where the league leader intriples had 20 or more.
Owen "Chief" Wilson set a record of 36 triples in 1912, a record that is likely one ofbaseball's unbreakable records, as is that of the 309 career triples ofSam Crawford set during this time.[3]
Despite their speed, teams struggled to score during the dead-ball era. Major league cumulative batting averages ranged between .239 and .279 in theNational League (NL) and between .239 and .283 in theAmerican League (AL). The lack of power in the game also meant lowerslugging percentages andon-base percentages, as pitchers could challengehitters more without the threat of the home run. The nadir of the dead-ball era was around1907 and1908, with a league-wide batting average of .239, slugging average of .306, and anearned run average (ERA) under 2.40. In the latter year, theChicago White Sox hit three home runs for the entire season, yet they finished 88–64, just a couple of games from winning the pennant.[4]
This should prove that leather is mightier than wood[5]
Some players and fans complained about the low-scoring games, and league officials sought to remedy the situation. In1909,Ben Shibe invented thecork-centered ball, which the Reach Company—official ball supplier to the American League—began marketing.[6]Spalding, Reach's parent company which separately supplied the National League, followed with its own cork-center ball.
The change in the ball dramatically affected play in both leagues.[6] In1910, the American League batting average was .243; in 1911, it rose to .273. The National League saw a jump in the league batting average from .256 in 1910 to .272 in1912. The1911 season happened to be the best ofTy Cobb's career; he batted .420 with 248 hits.Joe Jackson hit .408 in 1911, and the next year Cobb batted .410. These were the only .400 averages between1902 and1919.
In1913, however, minor league pitcherRuss Ford noticed that a ball scuffed against a concrete wall quickly dived as it reached the batter. This so-calledemery ball, together with thespitball, gave pitchers greatly increased control of the batter, especially since a single ball—rarely replaced during a game—would become increasingly scuffed as play progressed, as well as more difficult to see as it became dirtier. By1914 run scoring was essentially back to the pre-1911 years and remained so until 1919.[7]
In this era,Frank Baker earned the nickname "Home Run" Baker merely for hitting two home runs in the1911 World Series; although he led the American League in home runs four times (1911–1914), his highest home run season was 1913, when he hit 12,[8] and he finished with 96 home runs for his career. The best home run hitter of the dead-ball era wasPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder "Cactus"Gavvy Cravath, who led the National League in home runs six times, with a high total of 24 for the pennant-winning Phillies in1915 and seasons of 19 home runs each in 1913 and 1914. However, Cravath played in the cavernousBaker Bowl which despite being 341-foot (104 m) to left-field and a 408-foot (124 m) shot to dead center, was a notoriously hitter-friendly park with only a short 280-foot (85 m) distance from the plate to the right-field wall.
The following factors contributed to the dramatic decline in runs scored during the dead-ball era:
The foul strike rule was a major rule change that, in just a few years, sent baseball from a high-scoring game to a game where scoring any runs was a struggle. Under the foul strike rule, a batter whofouls off is charged with astrike unless he already has two strikes against him. The National League adopted the foul strike rule in 1901, and the American League followed suit in 1903. Prior to this rule, foul balls did not count as strikes.
Before 1921, it was common for a baseball to be in play for over 100 pitches. Players used the same ball until it started to unravel. Early baseball leagues were very cost-conscious, so fans had to throw back balls that had been hit into the stands. The longer the ball was in play, the softer it became—and hitting a heavily used, softer ball for distance is much more difficult than hitting a new, harder one. The ball was also softer to begin with, making home runs less likely.
The ball was also hard to hit because pitchers could manipulate it before a pitch. For example, thespitball pitch was permitted in baseball until 1921. Pitchers often marked the ball, scuffed it, spat on it—anything they could to influence the ball's motion. This made the ball "dance" and curve much more than it does now, making it more difficult to hit.Tobacco juice was often added to the ball as well, which discolored it. This made the ball difficult to see, especially since baseball parks did nothave lights until the late 1930s. This made both hitting and fielding more difficult.
Many ballparks were large by modern standards, such as theWest Side Grounds of theChicago Cubs, which was 560 feet (170 m) to the center-field fence, and theHuntington Avenue Grounds of theBoston Red Sox, which was 635 feet (194 m) to the center-field fence.[a] The dimensions ofBraves Field promptedTy Cobb to say that no one would ever hit the ball out of it, and no home run was hit over the fences there until 1922, after the dead-ball era ended.
The dead-ball era ended suddenly. By 1921, offenses were scoring 40% more runs and hitting four times as many home runs as they had in 1918. Baseball historians debate the abruptness of this change, with no consensus as to its cause.[9][10] Six popular theories have been advanced:
