It’s no secret that baseball players take their jobs seriously. They practice for hours daily and hone their skills to become the best in their league. Also, they prepare themselves mentally and physically for the physical and mental demands of playing a game. But did you know baseball players use an average of 900,000 balls annually? That’s right: baseballs are a big deal in professional baseball.
Seasoned baseball players use over 900,000 baseballs yearly
The Major Leagues play thousands of games per year, so that’s 30 teams playing 30 games each. If you think about it, many baseballs are being used.
Think about the number of pitches thrown in one game. There are nine innings and three outs per inning. That’s 27 pitches from each pitcher. That means there are 169 pitches thrown in an average game (27 x 3), which is a lot of balls to be used up.
A ball is used for six pitches on average
This is the kind of statistic you’d expect to see on a baseball card or in an article about the history of the sport, but it’s actually just one of many that Major League Baseball (MLB) provides for its fans through its Statcast website. According to MLB, an average of 900,000 baseballs are used annually.
The Yankees consume about 50,000 balls a year
The Times reported that the Yankees consume about 50,000 baseballs per year, according to Major League Baseball. That’s more than any other professional team in America and nearly double the number of balls used by any given college team. The high quantity is thanks to MLB players constantly training for a game, practicing their craft, and getting ready for whatever might come their way on a nightly basis.
The most prolific users of baseballs tend to be pitchers who throw them at speeds of up to 100 mph. However, even those who don’t strike many batters out still need an endless supply of balls because they’re constantly in contact with the ball when flying it into catchers’ mitts during practice throws or trying not to hit batters in foul territory.
The cost of balls is not included in the MLB’s
The cost of balls isn’t included in the MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is up for debate this offseason. The CBA covers salaries and benefits for players, umpires, and other staff. It also dictates how much teams can spend on player development and minor league operations.
The average salary of a Major League Baseball player was $4 million in 2018, a figure that doesn’t include signing bonuses or other perks like postseason share money. With more than 900,000 balls used by major league teams annually (and many more at lower levels), replacement costs add up quickly for ball companies like Rawlings-Adidas and Wilson Sporting Goods Company Inc., which are paid millions per year to supply official game balls to all 30 major league clubs as well as minor league affiliates throughout North America.
If a ball hits dirt or grass, it can be reused if it is still playable
If a ball is hit into the dirt or grass, it can be used again if it is still playable. The balls used in professional baseball are designed to withstand being hit many times by strong batters and still maintain their playability. A baseball that is hit into the dirt or grass can often still be used for play.
There’s a lot of judgment involved
When a ball hits dirt or grass, it loses some velocity.’ Diat said in an email. A player who is trying hard to get his pitch over will sometimes hit the ball harder than he normally would,” adding, “The umpire has to have experience judging if the pitcher is being effective with his pitches or if he is just throwing every pitch as hard as he can.”
On average, baseballs used during MLB games will last around six pitches before they need to be replaced, and this could happen either way; a ball could last five pitches until one batter hits it out of the stadium but then last another 20 when thrown at another batter next time around.
Conclusion
So, that’s the story of the ball. It’s one of the essential pieces of equipment in a baseball game, and it might not be getting much better anytime soon. But hey, at least they’re still using them. As for the balls, there’s a lot of judgment involved on the part of MLB’s umpires. It’s not enough to track just how many balls each team uses during games; there are also factors like dirt, grass, and wear that can affect their performance.
