The Bases and Foul Lines: 1857; 1858–1859: National Association of Base-Ball Players

Baseball history diagram: Bases and Foul Lines: 1857; 1858–1859: National Association of Base-Ball Players. During the First Base Ball Convention in 1857, it was decided that the distance between all bases was to be 30 yards. This made the distance between Home Base and second base and Third base and first base 127' 4”. Also in 1857 it was agreed that first, second and third base must cover one square foot. The third and first base foul lines were not specified in the playing rules to be marked on the playing field. The dotted lines in this diagram show the position of the four bases in relationship to each other. Click diagram to return to previous page.