The pitcher's box?

Ever notice that sometimes baseball announcers will say a ball is hit "back through the box," but it went past or over the pitcher's mound? Wikipedia to the rescue!

In the early days of the game, there was no mound, and the pitcher, much like a bowler in cricket, would walk out past second base and get a running start towards the hitter before delivering the ball. Once the pitcher had reached the pitcher's area, he was required to release the ball while inside a box drawn on the ground. Even though the mound has replaced the box, this terminology still exists.

I'm trying to imagine, say, David Wells or Roger Clemens running from second base to pitch the ball. Now that's some funny imagery. :)