Editing Intentional base on balls (section)

==History==
[[File:Ray Caldwell pitching in the first game at Ebbets Field, April 5, 1913-cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Photo showing pre-1920 catcher's lines]]

Before the [[1920 in baseball|1920 season]], the catcher was allowed to set up anywhere within a roughly {{convert|14|by|20|ft|adj=on}} right triangle behind home plate, the back line being {{convert|10|ft}} behind the plate. The catcher could stand at a corner of this triangle to receive the four wide pitches, too far away for the batter to have any chance at hitting the ball. As the intentional walk became more frequent following the end of the [[dead ball era]], batters such as [[Babe Ruth]] complained about the unfairness of it.

To give the batter a better chance (and to potentially increase scoring and attendance), major league baseball team owners (at the annual rules meeting in Chicago on February 9, 1920) initially attempted to ban the intentional base on balls by instituting a penalty that an intentional ball be counted as a [[balk]] (which would award each runner the next base). Veteran [[National League (baseball)|NL]] [[umpire]] [[Hank O'Day]] argued successfully against the proposal and the owners succeeded only in mandating that "the catcher must stand with both feet within the lines of the catcher's box until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand," a rule still in force today. The newly-redrawn catcher's box reduced the back line from {{convert|10|to|8|ft}} behind the plate, and with sides {{convert|3+1/2|ft|in m}} apart.

Intentional walks have been an officially tracked statistic only since 1955.

Prior to the [[2017 in baseball|2017 season]], as part of Major League Baseball's efforts to improve the [[pace of play]], the rules were amended to allow a manager to order an intentional walk by simply signaling the umpire.<ref name="Rolling Stone" />

In 2023, [[Little League]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 14, 2023 |title=Full guide to the 2023 Little League World Series |url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/full-guide-to-the-2023-little-league-world-series/3624233/ }}</ref> made a rule change (Rule 6.08 (2)(a)) restricting the number of intentional walks on a batter by informing the umpire to one per game.  If a batter is to be intentionally walked a second time, the catcher must give the signal and four intentional balls must be pitched.<ref>{{cite web |title=1 2023 Little League® Rulebook Significant Updates |url=https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/2023-rulebook-significant-changes/ |website=Little League |access-date=2024-05-10 |ref=LL2023}}</ref>