Cushioned wood cores were patented in the late 19th century by sports equipment manufacturer
Spalding, the company founded by former baseball star
A.G. Spalding. In recent years, various synthetic materials have been used to create baseballs; however, they are generally considered lower quality, stitched with two red thick thread, 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 leave the bat faster, and fly further. Since the baseballs used today are wound tighter than in previous years, notably the
dead-ball era that prevailed through 1920, people often say the ball is
"juiced". The height of the seams also affects how well a pitcher can pitch. Baseballs used in MLB and the top minor leagues (AAA) are made to the same specifications, but labelled separately. Balls used in the lower minor leagues (up to AA) use slightly different specifications intended to make those balls somewhat more durable, although MLB pitchers on rehab assignments in the minors are usually supplied with major league-grade balls. Generally, in
Little League through college leagues, the seams are markedly higher than balls used in professional leagues. In 1901, the Spalding and Reach companies manufactured the official baseballs for the National and American Leagues, respectively, at a listed unit price of $1.25 each, . By comparison, the same source lists top-quality baseball bats at a mere $0.75. Due to the high relative cost of ball production, club owners in the early 20th century were reluctant to spend much money on new balls if not necessary. It was not unusual for a single baseball to last an entire game, nor for a baseball to be reused for the next game especially if it was still in relatively good condition as would likely be the case for a ball introduced late in the game. Balls hit into the stands were retrieved by team employees in order to be put back in play, as is still done today in some 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. This would lower the offense during the games giving pitchers an advantage. 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 replace dirty or worn baseballs. However, even though scores of new balls are used nowadays in every game, some rules intended solely to reduce the frequency (and associated expense) of replacing balls during a game remain in force - the
Pine Tar Incident in the 1980s was one famous incident triggered by a capricious enforcement of an obscure one. Today, MLB teams are required to have a minimum of 156 baseballs ready for use in each game. When combined with baseballs needed for practice, etc. each MLB team uses tens of thousands of balls every season. However, modern professional-grade baseballs purchased in bulk only cost about seven dollars each (as of ) and thus make up a negligible portion of a modern MLB team's operating budget. Recreational-grade baseballs can be purchased by the public for an even lower unit price. Once discarded by the umpire, game-used baseballs not hit into the stands are collected by
batboys. Many baseballs involved in historical plays are displayed at the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown,
New York. Other baseballs associated with noteworthy in-game events are often authenticated and sold as
memorabilia. Most such sales today are conducted on MLB's official website. The total proceeds from such sales represent a significant portion of the total purchase cost of baseballs since even balls used for relatively minor accomplishments can each fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars. In 1909, sports magnate and former player
Alfred J. Reach patented the ivory centered
"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 and patented In 2000, Major League Baseball reorganized its structure to eliminate the position of league presidents, and switched to one ball specification for both leagues. Under the current rules, a major league baseball weighs between , and is in circumference ( in diameter). There are 108 double stitches on a baseball, or 216 individual stitches. The
Nippon Professional Baseball uses a ball that is slightly smaller () than its MLB and WBSC equivalents (). While the decision whether to discard a baseball is formally at the discretion of the home plate umpire, today baseballs are expected to be immediately replaced after even minor scratches, discoloration and undesirable texture that can occur during the game. Balls used for pre-game warm-ups are often given to fans. Because baseballs are almost always replaced after each half-inning it is increasingly customary for players to give balls used to end half-innings to fans in the front rows, either by handing the ball to a fan (especially a child) in the front row or by gently tossing it into the stands, especially if the player holding it is a home team player close to the stands as for example is often the case for an outfielder catching a fly ball. MLB has long recognized any ball that comes into the possession of a spectator by any lawful means after entering the stands as immediately becoming the property of that spectator, although 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 or otherwise retrieves 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. Without proper preparation, an official professional-grade baseball is very dangerous to throw because it is so slick and hard. By rule, balls used in the professional game must be rubbed with a mud known as
"rubbing mud", which is typically applied either by the umpires or someone working under their supervision before each game, and is intended to help the pitcher's grip. Because the mud discolors the ball, many fans prefer to purchase non-game-used balls for purposes such as collecting autographs, etc. In contrast, recreational-grade baseballs are designed so as not to require any special preparation before being used. Three common forms of baseball exist: the standard leather-covered ball used in ubiquitously in the sport; a rubber version used in Japan for children's baseball; and a softer yet "practice" ball mainly used indoors: • Baseball or Hard baseball – Ordinary baseball which is used in
Major League Baseball, in Japan is used in high school baseball and above for (hardball) baseball, referred to as hardball or baseball •
Rubber baseball aka
Nanshiki – Used for rubberball baseball usually played prior to high school in Japan; sometimes referred to as Japanese rubber baseball • Soft (compression) baseball – Used for batting practice and fielding training or softball baseball which can be safely played indoors, usually made from polyurethane (PU) material File:Baseball (crop).jpg|Ordinary baseball File:Rubber baseball.jpg|Rubber baseball File:Soft baseball.jpg|Soft (compression) baseball ==Famous baseballs==