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A baseball

A baseball is a ball used primarily in the sport of the same name, baseball. It is generally between 9 inches (22.9 cm) and 9¼ inches (23.5 cm) in circumference, and 5 ounces avoirdupois (142 g) in weight, though sometimes different-size balls may be used in children's leagues. 1 Construction varies. Generally the core of the ball is cork, rubber, or a mixture of the two, and is sometimes layered. Around that are various linear materials including yarn and twine, sometimes wool is used. A leather cover is put on, in two pieces, and stitched together using 108 stitches of waxed cotton thread which is typically red in color. Rolled stitching is flatter and creates less air-resistance. This is the type of stitching used for major league balls and is ideal for the game and everyday play. Official Major League balls sold by Rawlings are made to the exact MLB specifications (5 ounces, 108 stitches) and are stamped with the signature of Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig on each ball.


Two baseballs, viewed in cross-section. On the left, a cork-centered ball, and on the right, a WWII-era ball with a rubber center.

Cushioned cork cores were patented in the late 19th century by sports equipment manufacturer and former baseball star A. G. Spalding. During World War II, rubber centers from golf balls were used, due to wartime restrictions on the domestic use of materials. In recent years, various synthetic materials have been used to create baseballs; however, they are generally considered lower quality, and are not used in the major leagues. Using different types of materials affects the performance of the baseball. Generally a tighter-wound baseball will jump off the bat faster, and go farther. Since the baseballs used today are wound tighter than in previous years, notably the dead ball era that prevailed through 1920, people often say that the ball is "juiced". The height of the seams also affect how well a pitcher can pitch. Generally, in little league through college leagues, the seams are markedly higher than balls used in professional leagues.


In the early years of the sport, only one ball was typically used in each game, unless it was too damaged to be usable; balls hit into the stands were retrieved by team employees in order to be put back in play, as is still done today in other sports. Over the course of a game, a typical ball would become discolored due to dirt, and often tobacco juice and other materials applied by players; damage would also occur, causing slight rips and seam bursts. However, after the 1920 death of batter Ray Chapman after being hit in the head by a pitch, perhaps due to his difficulty in seeing the ball during twilight, an effort was made to keep clean, undamaged balls in play.

In 1909, sports magnate and former player Alfred J. Reach patented the cork-center baseball, which was adopted by the major leagues the following season. Charles Webb Murphy, owner of the Chicago Cubs, discovered a substance called "ivory nut" in Panama and suggested it might be even better in a baseball than cork. However, Philadelphia Athletics president Benjamin F. Shibe, who had invented the ball Reach patented, commented, "I look for the leagues to adopt an 'ivory nut' baseball just as soon as they adopt a ferro-concrete bat and a base studded with steel spikes."

Throughout the 20th Century, Major League Baseball used two different baseballs, American League and National League. The baseballs were identical in every way except that American Leagues had "Official American League" and the AL President's signature in blue ink, and National League baseballs had "Official National League" and the NL President's signature in black ink. In 2000, Major League Baseball reorganized its structure to eliminate the position of League Presidents, and switched to one singular baseball for both leagues.

Today, several dozen baseballs are used in a typical professional game, due to scratches, discoloration, and undesirable texture that can occur during the game. Balls hit out of the park for momentous occasions (record setting, or for personal reasons) are often requested to be returned by the fan who catches it, or donated freely by the fan. Usually the player will give the fan an autographed bat and/or other autographed items in exchange for the special ball.

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Famous baseballs

There are several historic instances of fans catching or attempting to catch baseballs:

  • The ball that Mark McGwire hit for his 70th home run of the 1998 baseball season, then setting a new record, was sold by a fan to Todd McFarlane for $3 million (US).
  • Larry Ellison, not to be confused with the software entrepreneur of the same name, famously retrieved both Barry Bonds's 660th and 661st home runs.
  • Steve Bartman interfered with a play while attempting to catch a foul ball, causing the Chicago Cubs not to get an out in "The Inning" during the 2003 NLCS. The loose ball was snatched up by a Chicago lawyer and sold at an auction in December 2003. Grant DePorter purchased it for $113,824.16 on behalf of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group. On February 26, 2004, it was publicly exploded in a procedure designed by Cubs fan and Academy Award winning special effects expert Michael Lantieri. In 2005, the remains of the ball were used by the restaurant in a pasta sauce. While no part of the ball itself was in the sauce, the ball was boiled and the steam captured, distilled, and added to the final concoction.
  • Barry Bonds' 73rd home run of the 2001 season. It was the last home run of his historic, record breaking season where he broke Mark McGwire's single season home run record. The ball had a lot of controversy as there was a huge lawsuit between two people that claimed to have caught it. The story was made into a documentary, Up for Grabs.
  • Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run, beating Hank Aaron's record, caught by an opposing fan in 2007.

Notes and references

  1. ^ The Major League Baseball rulebook has guidelines for the size, weight and construction of the baseball for use in the major leagues.
    "The ball shall be a sphere formed by yarn wound around a small core of cork, rubber or similar material, covered with two stripes of white horsehide or cowhide, tightly stitched together. It shall weigh not less than five nor more than 5¼ ounces avoirdupois and measure not less than nine nor more than 9¼ inches in circumference.

See also

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