Rule Logic?

[BretMan]

What do you expect? Not too many of us were around when these rules were invented.

What is the "logic" of having four bases? Why not three or five? How come a pitcher gets to screw up four times (balls) but a batter only gets to three times (strikes). Why can the defense get an out by tagging a base with a foot, but need to touch the runner with the ball? I don't know why any of those are the way they are...they just are.

It's just the convention that evolved as the game evolved. I guess that I can sort of see a logic to it, since plays at first base involve a batter getting on base, while plays at other bases involve a runner advancing the bases, which are kind of two different things.