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The story behind why a batter gets four balls and three strikes
In the very first rules of baseball, the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules, it is written that a batter gets three strikes. The primary goal of early baseball was for batters to put the ball in play, that’s why three strikes was first implemented–to give the hitters numerous chances. In fact, called strikes weren’t even implemented until 1858 and even that came with strict rules–like the first pitch couldn’t be a called strike.
