During Major League Baseball (MLB) games, eight to 10 dozen baseballs are used in an average game. Baseballs are moved out of play if the pitcher throws a pitch that ends in the dirt, or if the umpire or pitcher feels the balls has a dent or is lopsided. As of 2014, the average lifespan of a baseball during a major league game is roughly eight pitches. Once baseballs are no longer in the game, they are recycled for batting practice or moved into the minor leagues.
More about baseball:
- In the early history of baseball, players wore straw hats.
- Regulation baseballs contain 108 stitches and are done by hand with two straight needles.
- On the 100th anniversary of baseball, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was created in Cooperstown, New York.