Balls - Game Used

[frankbmd]

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.

[jayshum]

According to a Google search, between 96 and 120 balls are generally used in a 9 inning game.

[philliesfan]

I remember hearing one time that 12 dozen receive the mud treatment before every game.
Bob

[Casey2296]

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I would imagine the used balls are passed down the chain to an organization that can use them.
Reminds me of the time I went to Cuba on a cultural exchange trip, smuggled a dozen new baseballs and 6 mitts collected from my buddies. Went to the baseball academy in Havana and donated everything to a local team of kids.
The smiles on their faces was priceless.
Would make a huge difference if MLB could somehow get all those baseballs to the Academy.
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[BearBailey]

They are authenticated and sold by the team, some times at auctions but typically at a team game used store, depending on what was done with it determines the price. Some go to the teams charities some don’t. Most teams still have a card board to leather day or more where fans can bring lightly used equipment that gets donated to one of these countries, I still remember Melvin mora giving my sons autographed postcards for bringing in gently used equipment at an Orioles game several years back, the boys still talk about it, even though they are no longer boys.

[packs]

I've got this ball from Rube Walberg's win over the Cleveland Indians on June 15th, 1926. Not sure how many baseballs were used in the game though:

[jayshum]

Here's an article from The Athletic that talks about how many balls are used in a game. I hope the link works for everyone.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/663...d=url-share-ta