The Bases and Foul Lines: 1880–1881: National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs; 1882–1883: American Association of Base Ball Clubs

Baseball history diagram: Bases and Foul Lines: 1880–1881: National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs; 1882–1883: American Association of Base Ball Clubs. Starting in 1880 in the NL and 1882 in the AA, the 15' line was named the Coach's Line and the 50' line was named the Player's Line. Their distances still corresponding to the Foul Ball Lines and were specified to be marked on the playing field. These lines were drawn to aid the umpire in keeping the players and coaches the correct distance from the playing field. Their lengths were required to extend to the limits of the grounds. Click diagram to return to previous page.