Reminiscings from Keith "Dez" and his memoirs "View from a Martian Dugout"
"Ah, the mound. About the only time I was ever allowed to approach the mound was during a mid-innings discussion with the pitcher when we'd have a chat about what we were doing after the game or tomorrow or anything, just as long as it looked like we were concocting a plan that would spook the batter."
Officially called The Pitchers Mound, it is located roughly in the middle of the diamond, equidistant between first and third base, and a few feet closer to home plate than to second base.
The top of the mound is to be no higher than ten inches (25.4 cm) above home plate, and is exactly 60 feet, 6 inches (18.4 m) from the rear point of home plate.
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 official height was lowered from 15" to a max of 10" in the summer of '69 to "increase the batting" as pitching had become increasingly dominant. 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.
A pitcher's mound is difficult for groundskeepers to maintain.
Usually before every game it is watered down to keep the dust from spreading and as a rule the home team rakes and repairs their mound at the end of each game. In wet weather it needs to be protected with tarps, and as the clay bedding also contains a grade of concrete to help bind it, occasional rebuilds are necessary between seasons.
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On youth and amateur baseball fields, the mound may be much different from the rulebook definition due to erosion and repair attempts. Even in the major leagues, each mound gains its own character, as pitchers are allowed to kick away pieces of dirt in their way, thereby sculpting the mound a bit to their preference.
The pitcher may keep a rosin bag on the rear of the mound to dry off his hands. Major league baseball teams are also permitted cleat cleaners on the back of the mound. This may be a flat grate-style plate, or simply a hand tool such as a piece of wood used to remove mud and dirt from cleats. These items are allowed to remain on the backside of the mound at the discretion of the umpire, thus reducing the probability that they will affect a live play.