Calories Burned Playing Baseball

Baseball may not be the fastest-moving game if you are a spectator, but as a player, you are actively burning calories. Pitchers' muscles are constantly engaged as they hurl balls, outfielders display coordination and speed as they run to field a ball and batters swing hard and then sprint around the bases. Playing baseball may not burn as many calories as a game of hoops or a tennis match, but it can still count as a decent workout.

During one hour of general play, a 160-pound person burns about 365 calories. If you weigh more, you'll burn more calories and if you weigh less, you'll burn fewer. The average length of a nine-inning baseball game is about 2 hours, 50 minutes, according to Major League Baseball, meaning you'll burn approximately 1,032 calories over the course of a game.

Compared to Other Sports
An hour of basketball, running and racquetball all burn significantly more calories than an hour of baseball. For example, in an hour of basketball, a 160-pound person burns 584 calories; in one hour of running at an 8 mph pace, that same person would burn 861. During a baseball game, much of the game is spent standing, rather than in constant motion, which accounts for the lower calorie burn. But, most people can't sustain the high-intensity of a basketball game or an 8 mph run for as long as you can a baseball game. If you play basketball for two hours, you'll achieve approximately the same total calorie burn as you would playing a three-hour game of baseball.

Training
Players burn calories during training as well as games. Training for baseball involves resistance workouts, drills to hone agility and speed, and flexibility work. These workouts that involve dynamic warm-ups and general calisthenics of varying intensity can burn between 167 and 298 calories per 30 minutes for a 155-pound player.

Spectating
Although playing baseball doesn't burn a great number of calories, it burns more than sitting and watching. One hour of spectating burns between 50 and 100 calories per hour, depending on your size. Even if you pump your fist a few times or stand up and cheer, you won't achieve the same burn as the players. You won't even work off your hot dog and peanuts.

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