what is the "live ball" era in MLB?

Question

I heard it on espn news, on the 'hotlist' this afternoon, talking about roger clemens going for win 350, and that warren spahn was the only one to reach that milestone during the "live ball era"....what is this?

Answer 1

Craig S. is correct on the dates but let me add one thing. When they talk about the "live ball" era it is a point in time when homeruns were starting to pick up in a big way. Players were leading the league in homeruns with 15 or less before 1920 and along comes Ruth in 1920 with 54 homeruns than 59,35,41,46,25,47, and of course 60 in 1927. There were some changes in the structure of the baseball itself and many people believed it was a major reason Ruth was able to achieve his accomplishments, although it was never substantiated, and that is where the phrase "live ball" comes from.

Answer 2

The live ball era started in 1920 when Babe Ruth upped the home run record (his own) from 29 to 54. Technically Walter Johnson reached 350 wins in 1923 but of course he mostly pitched in the "dead ball" era.

Answer 3

It's the era after about 1920 when the baseball was changed. There used to just be yarn inside the baseball, but they added a cork/ball to the inside around then, which added to home runs extensively. Before that time, if you hit 12 Home Runs, you would lead the league.

Answer 4

After 1920 when the dead ball era ended.

Answer 5

It's the term that refers to baseball after 1919, since that was the end of the "Dead Ball Era."

Wikipedia's description is a decent one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Ball_Era

Answer 6

It's the era we're in now.