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The robustness of the 1870s-1890s rules (BTW the mound was originally a flat box 45 feet from home plate and stayed that way until a rules change in 1893) is impressive. Granted, we've chosen carefully what kinds of athletes we think can help us on the ballfield...but still, we're talking about a wide range of different types of athletes and a stunningly small variation in the results of games under those varying conditions. It's an offensive "explosion" when the league R/G goes from 3.8 to 5.0