04:12
Faizan
Youth baseball games often prepare only two game balls for each contest. Then again, it's easy to keep track when you always have parents in the bleachers to toss back any foul balls. In Major League Baseball, though, it's a whole different story. When fans keep foul balls as souvenirs and picky pitchers complain about the slightest smudges, the inventory gets depleted a lot faster.
The Rule and the Reality
MLB rules state only that an umpire must have a dozen alternate balls ready to introduce into play. Seeing as how there are rare instances where a single batter has fouled that many balls in a single at-bat, the number becomes laughable. There is, of course, no standard number, since it can vary wildly depending on the pitchers, the score of the game and the length of the game. Jack Efta, an attendant at Cleveland's Progressive Field, says he usually keeps a backup of eight to 10 dozen balls for each Cleveland Indians home game. Even then, Efta points out, he has had to scramble sometimes to prepare more balls if the game stretches to extra innings. Umpire Tim McClelland and Minnesota Twins assistant equipment manager Tim Burke have also estimated that an average of eight to 10 dozen balls are used per game.
The Rule and the Reality
MLB rules state only that an umpire must have a dozen alternate balls ready to introduce into play. Seeing as how there are rare instances where a single batter has fouled that many balls in a single at-bat, the number becomes laughable. There is, of course, no standard number, since it can vary wildly depending on the pitchers, the score of the game and the length of the game. Jack Efta, an attendant at Cleveland's Progressive Field, says he usually keeps a backup of eight to 10 dozen balls for each Cleveland Indians home game. Even then, Efta points out, he has had to scramble sometimes to prepare more balls if the game stretches to extra innings. Umpire Tim McClelland and Minnesota Twins assistant equipment manager Tim Burke have also estimated that an average of eight to 10 dozen balls are used per game.
