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Although Major League Baseball specifies precise dimensions for a ballpark's infield, it stipulates only minimum distances for the outfield. Ever since Alexander Cartwright set down the first rules of baseball in 1845, there have been few requirements for the dimensions of the field. Cartwright's 20 rules of baseball for the New York Knickerbockers laid out the field in a diamond, set the distance from home to second base and from third to first base at 42 paces, and defined fair and
foul territory. Most likely, the shape of the infield and foul territory were dictated by the dimensions of Madison Square, where the Knickerbockers played. The land available continued to play a part in the size and orientation of many ballparks. Fenway Park, that venerated shrine of baseball, was built to conform to the surrounding streets near Boston's Kenmore Square. San Francisco's SBC Park (formerly Pac Bell Park) has an almost non-existent foul territory, a concession to the small plot of land on which it was built. Managers and owners have exploited the flexibility in field size, sometimes to their advantage -- and sometimes
not. But to many fans, the quirky dimensions of its parks add to the charm, charisma, and character of baseball.
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