Visitors bat first....when?

Anonymous asked: Originally the order of which team bats first was determined by chance. When was the tradition begun of the visiting team batting first?

I think it was after 1909 sometime.


Rick answered: Thank you for your question.

I have been unable to locate the information you have requested.

Baseball Almanac has a rules timeline, going all the way back to the beginning, when it was Knickerbocker rules. It doesn't show a rule change concerning which team bats first or last.

Current MLB rules state in rule 4.02...The players of the home team shall take their defensive positions, the first batter of the visiting team shall take his position in the batter's box, the umpire shall call"play" and the game shall start.

This is from the section Rule 4.0 Starting and Stopping a game.

Yours in baseball,

Rick