In the book The Neyer\/James Guide to Pitchers , sports journalist Rob Neyer wrote that the reason for the move was that pitchers like Cy Young , Amos Rusie , and Jouett Meekin threw too fast at the shorter distance . In 1893 , 5 f was added to the back line , yielding the modern pitching distance of 60 f. In the book The Neyer\/James Guide to Pitchers , sports journalist Rob Neyer wrote that the speed with which pitchers like Cy Young , Amos Rusie , and Jouett Meekin threw was the impetus that caused the move .