Editing Strike zone (section)

==History==
Originally, the word "strike" was used literally: the batter ''striking'' at the ball in an effort to hit it. For example, the 11th rule of the [[Knickerbocker Rules]] (1845) read "Three balls being struck at and missed and the last one caught, is a hand-out." There was no adverse consequence if the batter did not swing, i.e. the called strike did not exist, the result being batters prepared to wait all day for "their" pitch. It was not until the 1858 [[National Association of Base Ball Players|NABBP]] convention that a rule was adopted authorizing the umpire to impose a penalty strike for such conduct: "Should a striker stand at the bat without striking at good balls repeatedly pitched to him, for the purpose of delaying the game or of giving advantage to a player, the umpire, after warning him, shall call one strike, and if he persists in such action, two and three strikes. When three strikes are called, he shall be subject to the same rules as if he had struck at three balls."<ref>{{cite web |title=1858 NABBP Rules – Protoball |url=https://protoball.org/1858_NABBP_Rules}}</ref> The called ball first appeared in the rules of 1863, similarly as a discretionary penalty imposed on the pitcher for persistently delivering "unfair" balls.<ref>"Should the pitcher repeatedly fail to deliver to the striker fair balls, for the apparent purpose of delaying the game, or for any other cause, the umpire, after warning him, shall call one ball, and if the pitcher persists in such action, two and three balls; when three balls shall have been called, the striker shall be entitled to the first base; and should any base be occupied at that time, each player occupying them shall be entitled to one base without being put out." https://protoball.org/1863_NABBP_Rules</ref>

Whether or not a pitch was "unfair" or the batter was being unreasonably picky was left entirely to the umpire's judgment. Well into the 1870s, umpires were reluctant to make such calls,<ref>"In [calling balls] on pitchers, the rule to be observed this season by leading umpires will be as follows: When the game commences, the umpire, after making such allowance for accidental unfair delivery as the circumstances will justify, will without appeal call “ball to the bat,” after which notice should the pitcher fail “repeatedly”, viz., twice or three times to deliver a fair ball, then the umpire will call “one ball;” and if the pitcher persists in such action, that is, delivers one or two unfair balls directly after such warning and calling of one ball, two and three balls are to be called, and the player given his base. Less latitude will be allowed in this matter than was permitted last season, and the practice of taking the opinion of the two nines or their captains as to the degree of latitude to be observed in making allowance for unfair balls is to be entirely done away with." ''New York Clipper'', March 25, 1865</ref> since they were viewed as penalties for unsportsmanlike play. By the 1880s, they had become routine, and the modern view took hold, that every pitch results in either a swing, a ball or a called strike. The first rule leading to the creation of a defined strike ''zone'' was enacted by the [[American Association (19th century)|American Association]] before the 1886 season. As explained in ''[[Sporting Life (American newspaper)|The Sporting Life]]'' on March 17, 1886, "the ball must be delivered at the height called for by the batsman. If at such height it passes over any part of the [[Home plate|plate]] then it is a strike. The idea is to give the pitcher a chance against some cranky umpires who compelled the twirlers to almost cut the plate in two before a strike would be called, even if the height was right."<ref>"A Definition", in ''The Sporting Life'', Wednesday, March 17, 1886, p. 1, col. 2.</ref> The following year, the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] created the full strike zone, eliminating the batter's right to call the height of the pitch, and instead requiring the umpire to call a strike on any pitch that "passes over home plate not lower than the batsman's knee, nor higher than his shoulders."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Strike Zone: A History of Official Strike Zone Rules by Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/strike_zone_rules_history.shtml}}</ref>

Major League Baseball has occasionally redefined the strike zone to control the balance of power between pitchers and hitters.<ref name="1968: Year of the Pitcher">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1968.html |title=1968: Year of the Pitcher |publisher=thisgreatgame.com |access-date=25 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224181907/http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1968.html |archive-date=24 December 2011}}</ref> After the record home run year by [[Roger Maris]] in {{Baseball year|1961}}, the major leagues increased the size of the strike zone by raising the top of the zone from the batter's armpit to the top of his shoulder.<ref name="mlb_strike_zone">{{Cite web|title=Strike Zone|website=[[MLB.com]] |url=https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone|date=January 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Expanded strike zone unveiled |agency=Associated Press |work=The Press-Courier |page=9 |date=8 March 1963 |access-date=25 December 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AxpLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4SINAAAAIBAJ&pg=7088,849307&dq=1962+strike+zone&hl=en}}</ref> In {{Baseball year|1968}}, pitchers such as [[Denny McLain]] and [[Bob Gibson]] dominated hitters, producing 339 [[shutout]]s.<ref name="1968: Year of the Pitcher"/> [[Carl Yastrzemski]] was the only [[American League]] hitter to finish the season with a [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] higher than .300.<ref name="1968: Year of the Pitcher"/> In the [[National League (baseball)|National League]], Gibson posted a 1.12 earned run average, the lowest in 54 years, while [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] pitcher [[Don Drysdale]] threw a record {{frac|58|2|3}} consecutive scoreless innings during the 1968 season.<ref name="1968: Year of the Pitcher"/> As a result of the dropping offensive statistics, Major League Baseball reduced pitchers' advantage by lowering the height of the mound from {{convert|15|in}} to {{convert|10|in}}, and by reducing the size of the strike zone for the {{Baseball year|1969}} season to extend only from the batter's armpits to the top of the knees.<ref name="mlb_strike_zone" /><ref>{{cite news |title=McLain Says Lower Mound Will Take Toll of Pitchers |agency=Associated Press |work=The Telegraph-Herald |page=13 |date=14 January 1969 |access-date=25 December 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LWNFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KbwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5404,1728619&dq=denny+mclain+pitching+mound&hl=en}}</ref> In 1985, the top of the strike zone was lowered to the midpoint of the batter's torso, as viewed from a vertical angle by the umpire.<ref name=mlb_strike_zone/>