The baseball home plate is 17′ wide and made of rubber. The designer Robert Keating picked rubber as the material because of the springy nature. The material prevented a harsh vibration to the batter’s hands when they struck the base with the end of their bat, and would prevent injuries from occurring when base runners slid into home.
Source: Today I Found Out, https://flic.kr/p/7WQPN2
The first baseballs had anything from a walnut to a rock in the center. Yarn or string was wrapped around any solid substance. The string was then encased in leather. Players made their own or had them made for them to their own specifications. Since the custom was for the first teams of the 1850s to supply the balls for a game, games were dramatically swayed by the choice of a ball with properties that suited a team’s style of play.
Former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, Arthur Rhodes, had the most consecutive scoreless games. He had a scoreless streak of 33 games while pitching in relief for the Cincinnati Reds over a 30-inning span from 13 April to 26 June 2010. Rhodes’ feat matched the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for most consecutive appearances without allowing a run, a record previously set by Mike Myers of the Colorado Rockies in 2000 and Mark Guthrie of the New York Mets in 2002.
Source: www.guinnessworldrecords.com, SPOKEO
Approximately 600,000 baseballs are used by all Major League teams combined during the course of a season. The average baseball remains in play for only five to seven pitches in a Major League game. Each ball must weigh between 5 and 5.25 ounces (141.75-148.83 grams) and measure between 9 and 9.25 inches (22.86-23.49 centimeters) in circumference to conform to Major League standards.
Source: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Baseball.html#ixzz3ZMQvwVLe
The Major League Baseball teams use about 850,000 balls per season.
The Major League Baseball teams use about 850,000 balls per season.
