Here is the chronological change list of the rules of Major League Baseball through history (Courtesy of http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rulechng.shtml)
| Knickerbocker Rule Change Timeline
In Chronological Order |
|
| Year |
Change In Official Knickerbocker Rules |
| 1857 |
The game was won when one side scored 21 aces. Now it is a 9 inning contest and the highest scoring team wins. |
| 1858 | Called strikes are introduced. |
| A batter is out on a batted ball, fair or foul, if caught on the fly or after one bounce. | |
| The baserunner is no longer required to touch each base in order. | |
| 1863 | Bat size is regulated. |
| Pitcher’s box is now 12 feet by 4 feet. | |
| The pitcher is no longer allowed to take a step during his delivery and he had to pitch with both feet on the ground at the same time. | |
| Home base and pitcher’s box must be marked. | |
| No base can be made on a foul ball. | |
| 1864 | Out on a fair bound is removed and the “fly catch” of fair balls is adopted. |
| Each base runner must touch each base in making the circuit. | |
| Henry Chadwick’s scoring system is introduced. | |
| 1865 | Batting averages are included. |
| 1867 | Pitcher’s box is now made into a 6 foot square. Pitcher is now permitted to move around inside this box. |
| The batter is given the privilege of calling for a low or high pitch. | |
| 1872 | Ball size and weight are regulated and remain the same to this date. |
| Year |
Change In Official Knickerbocker Rules |
| National League / Major League Rule Change Timeline
In Chronological Order |
|
| Year |
Change In Official Major League Rules |
| 1877 |
Canvas bases 15 inches square were introduced. |
| Home plate was placed in the angle formed by the intersection of the first and third base lines. | |
| The hitter was exempted from a time at bat if he walked. | |
| 1879 | Player reserve clause was for the first time put into a contract. |
| The number of “called balls” became 9 and all balls were either strikes, balls or fouls. | |
| The pitcher had to face a batsman before pitching to him. | |
| A staff of umpires was first introduced. | |
| 1880 | Base on balls was reduced to 8 “called balls.” |
| The base runner was out if hit by a batted ball. | |
| The catcher had to catch the pitch on the fly in order to register and out on a third strike. | |
| 1883 | The “foul bound catch” was abolished and the pitcher could deliver a ball from above his waist. |
| 1884 | All restrictions on the delivery of a pitcher were removed. |
| Six “called balls” became a base on balls. | |
| Championships were to be decided on a percentage basis. | |
| 1885 | One portion of the bat could be flat (one side). |
| Home base could be made of marble or whitened rubber. | |
| Chest protectors worn by catchers and umpires came into use. | |
| 1887 | The pitcher’s box was reduced to 4 feet by 5 1/2 feet. |
| Calling for high and low pitches was abolished. | |
| Five balls became a base on balls. | |
| Four “called strikes” were adopted for this season only. | |
| Bases on balls were recorded as hits for this season only. | |
| The batter was awarded first base when hit by a pitch. | |
| Home plate was to be made of rubber only – dropping the marble type and was to be 12 inches square. | |
| Coaches were recognized by the rules for the first time ever. | |
| 1888 | Player reserve clause was written into the contracts of minor leaguers for the first time. |
| The base on balls exemption from a time at bat was restored. | |
| A batsman was credited with a base hit when a runner was hit by his batted ball. | |
| 1889 | Four balls became a base on balls. |
| A sacrifice bunt was statistically recognized. | |
| 1891 | Substitutions were permitted at any point in the game. |
| Large padded mitts were allowed for catchers. | |
| 1893 | Pitching distance increased from 50 feet to 60 feet 6 inches. |
| The pitching box was eliminated and a rubber slab 12 inches by 4 inches was substituted. | |
| The pitcher was required to place his rear foot against the slab. | |
| The rule exempting a batter from a time at bat on a sacrifice was instituted. | |
| The rule allowing a flat side to a bat was rescinded and the requirement that the bat be round and wholly of hard wood was substituted. | |
| 1894 | Foul bunts were classified as strikes. |
| 1895 | Pitching slab was enlarged to 24 inches by 6 inches. |
| Bats were permitted to be 2 3/4 inches in diameter and not to exceed 42 inches. | |
| Infield-fly rule was adopted. | |
| A held foul tip was classified as a strike. | |
| 1901 | Catchers were compelled to remain continuously under the bat. |
| 1903 | Foul strike rule was adopted by the American League. |
| 1904 | Height of the mound was limited to 15 inches higher than the level of the baselines. |
| 1908 | Pitchers were prohibited from soiling a new ball. |
| Shinguards were reintroduced. | |
| The sacrifice fly rule was adopted. | |
| 1910 | The cork center was added to the official baseball. |
| 1917 | Earned-run statistics and definitions were added to the rules. |
| 1920 | All freak deliveries, including the spitball, were outlawed. |
| The failure of a preceding runner to touch a base would not affect the status of a succeeding runner. | |
| The batter was given credit for a home run in the last of the ninth inning if the winning run was on base when the ball was hit out of the field. | |
| The number of runs batted in were to be included in the official score. | |
| Frivolous ninth-inning uncontested steals in one-sided games were discarded. | |
| 1925 | Pitcher was allowed to use a resin bag. |
| The minimum home-run distance was set at 250 feet. | |
| 1931 | Sacrifice fly rule was brought back, this time with a man scoring after the catch only. |
| Defensive interference was changed from an offense solely by a catcher to one by a fielder as well. | |
| No fielder could take a position in line with a batter’s vision with the deliberate intent to in any way distract the batter. | |
| Regulations referring to a batter contacting his own ball were clarified as was the area of bases awarded a batter when a defensive player threw his glove at a batted or thrown ball or in the case of spectator interference. | |
| 1953 | Players were to remove their gloves from the field (in 1954) when batting and no equipment was to show on the field at any time. |
| 1959 | Regulations were set up for minimum boundaries for all new parks, 325-400-325 feet. |
| 1968 | The anti-spitball rule was rewritten and tightened up because of the wave of moistened pitches that floated plateward the prior season. |
| 1969 | The pitcher’s mound was dropped five inches. |
| The strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits to the top of the batter’s knees. | |
| The save rule was added to the official rules for the first time. | |
| 1971 | All major-league players were ordered to wear protective helmets. |
| 1973 | The rule on glove size and color was minutely outlined for standardization. |
| The American League began using designated hitter for pitchers on an experimental basis. | |
| 1974 | The save rule was rewritten. |
| Minimum standards for individual championships were outlined. | |
| 1975 | The ball was permitted to be covered with cowhide because of the shortage of horses. |
| Suspension for three days became mandatory if batter were to hit a fair ball with a filled, doctored or flat-surfaced bat. | |
| The save rule was changed again. | |
|
2008 |
MLB adds limited (home run calls, fair or foul) instant reply to be in effect for all games starting on Friday, August 29th. |
| Year |
Change In Official Major League Rules |
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