The dead-ball era of baseball occurred between 1900 and 1919  Baseball historians refer to the period as the dead-ball era due to a decrease in scoring and lack of home runs  In the 1920 season, Ray Chapman died after getting hit in the head with a dirty baseball while batting  In response, Major League Baseball required that more baseballs be used per game
Scoring increased dramatically as a result of more baseballs being used per game, ending the dead-ball era
Major League Baseball outlawed the extremely effective spitball in 1920.