<P> At Major League Baseball fields, foul poles are usually yellow . Those at Citi Field are orange . At the Rogers Centre, there are no foul poles, but large nets suspended from the roof that serve the same purpose . At Petco Park, there is no foul pole in left field; the pole's function is served by a yellow metal strip along the corner of the Western Metal Supply Co. building . </P> <P> In roughly the middle of the square, equidistant between first and third base, and a few feet closer to home plate than to second base, is a low artificial hill called the pitcher's mound . This is where the pitcher stands when throwing the pitch . Atop the mound is a white rubber slab, called the pitcher's plate or pitcher's rubber . It measures 6 inches (15 cm) front - to - back and 2 feet (61 cm) across, the front of which is exactly 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) from the rear point of home plate . This peculiar distance was set by the rule makers in 1893, not due to a clerical or surveying error as popular myth has it, but intentionally (further details under History). </P> <P> In Major League Baseball, a regulation mound is 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter, with the center 59 feet (18 m) from the rear point of home plate, on the line between home plate and second base . The front edge of the pitcher's plate or rubber is 18 inches (46 cm) behind the center of the mound, making the front edge's midpoint 60 feet 6 inches from the rear point of home plate . Six inches (15 cm) in front of the pitcher's rubber the mound begins to slope downward . The top of the rubber is to be no higher than ten inches (25 cm) above home plate . From 1903 through 1968, this height limit was set at 15 inches (38 cm), but was often slightly higher, sometimes as high as 20 inches (51 cm), especially for teams that emphasized pitching, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were reputed to have the highest mound in the majors . </P> <P> A pitcher will push off the rubber with his foot in order to gain velocity toward home plate when pitching . In addition, a higher mound generally favors the pitcher . With the height advantage, the pitcher gains more leverage and can put more downward velocity on the ball, making it more difficult for the batter to strike the ball squarely with the bat . The lowering of the mound in 1969 was intended to "increase the batting" once again, as pitching had become increasingly dominant, reaching its peak the prior year; 1968 is known among baseball historians as "The Year of the Pitcher ." This restrictive rule apparently did its job, contributing to the hitting surge of modern baseball . </P>

How high is a pitcher's mound in mlb