Over the course of my lifetime the fate of baseballs used in a major league game has changed. I believe that in the fifties 60 balls were required for the entire game. Whether more were available I'm not sure, but probably there was another box or two on the shelf. The extras may not have had their Lena's mud treatment though.
Today no one even looks at the balls. If they touch the dirt, they are thrown away and replaced. With sliders and curveballs spiked in the dirt, the catchers just lob it toward the dugout and hold their hand up for the ump to hand them a new ball. With more strikeouts and pitches more balls are needed. Foul balls and dingers never return. Outfielders at the end of innings will demonstrate good will by tossing a perfectly good ball into the stands. Ball boys and girls in foul territory never throw a ball throw a ball back either.
In the good old days umpires looked at the ball before replacing it. I'm sure balls that were less than pristine remained playable. So today, how many balls are required to be treated with Lena's mud are required before the "Play Ball" is heard (if they still even say that).
Are balls that are tossed to the dugout reevaluated there with the good ones recycled to the umpire? I don't know, but it sure seems like the life span of a game ball has decreased markedly in the last 75 years.
Have you seen a half inning completed using only one ball? This is my challenge and I will bet against it.
