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Midday Mailbag: Are all the baseballs used cheaper by the dozen?

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Each weekday, I’ll be answering at least one question, sometimes more. If you’d like to ask a question, please send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may edited for style, clarity and length.

Question:  I’m amazed at how many balls get thrown out during an Oriole game. On average, how many balls do they go through in a game and what happens to the ones that get tossed? From: Carl in Baldwin

Answer: Carl, on average between 96 and 120 balls are used in a typical nine-inning game. Balls are packaged by the dozen, so it’s between eight and 10 dozen in most games. Used balls are used in batting and fielding practice as well as in bullpen sessions before the game. Some are auctioned off to charity.

Question: Tracked stats include splits in day games vs. night games. What is the cutoff start time for a day game? Are stats adjusted if a day game that’s delayed by rain for 90 minutes? From: Alan Andrysia via email


Answer: Alan, day games must start before 5 p.m. If a game scheduled for 4:05 doesn’t start until after 5, it’s still a day game.

Rich Dubroff

Rich Dubroff grew up in Brooklyn as a fan of New York teams, but after he moved to Baltimore, quickly adopted the Orioles and Colts. After nearly two decades as a freelancer assisting on Orioles coverage for several outlets, principally The Capital in Annapolis and The Carroll County Times, Dubroff began covering the team fulltime in 2011. He spent five years at Comcast SportsNet’s website and for the last two seasons, wrote for PressBoxonline.com, Dubroff lives in Baltimore with his wife of more than 30 years, Susan.

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Rich Dubroff

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