August 31, 1909 – A. J. Reach Co. patented the cork-centered baseball. Previously the balls had a hard rubber core to them. It sounds harmless enough, after all the core is buried under a leather cover and inner bindings. The stats tell a different story though.
According to ThisDayinBaseball.com the number of .300 hitters jumped from eight in 1910 to 27 a season later in the American League. The league’s earned run average will go from 2.53 to 3.34. We have heard about the corked bat, but the corked ball may have had an even bigger impact in the game. The modern ball has a core composed of cork and rubber.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
15 Best Golf Affiliate Programs: A Complete Guide for Golf Content Creators
Golfers are big spenders — over $2,000 a year on average. If you love
The First 20 Number One Overall Drafts Picks – NFL
Welcome to the Total Sports Recall podcast. I’m Harv Aronson and this episode is
The First 20 Number One Overall Drafts Picks – MLB
While the NFL steals the spotlight when it comes to amateur drafts, the other
How Kylian Mbappe is becoming ‘Mr World Cup’ as France hunt down Argentina
The brace against Iraq came nearly three hours apart, either side of a weather
The Championship Games That Changed a League Forever
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/yellow-and-white-trophy-_XTY6lD8jgM Some title games do more than decide who wins. They alter how
Brief Overview of Women’s Weightlifting History
The first USA Women’s National Championships were held on May 23, 1981, in Waterloo,
The Changing Role of Sports Mascots
Sports history is usually told through championships, box scores, coaches and athletes. Yet another
Remembering Tampa Bay’s First Two Seasons
In 1976 and 1977, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced what is probably the worst