Fans may wonder how many baseballs are used in an MLB game given the number of foul balls, home runs, and swaps made by the pitcher. There are multiple reasons why baseball would be taken out of the game, including when the ball hits the ground and any time the ball is struck by the bat.
"How many hands is too many? Pitcher to Catcher, Catch throws it back. = 2 hands. Allowed? Pitch throws it. Double play. = 4. Illegal? pickoff. 1st throws it back. Pitcher throws to Catch, catch throws back. = 3. no good? New ball from ump to catcher to pitcher = 3. no good?!" - @Jomboy_
How many baseballs are used in an MLB game?
The number of balls used may surprise many fans as The Athletic estimates that roughly 96-120 baseballs are used during an average MLB game. This estimated number may sound shocking to some fans, however, upon further reflection, it may not be as impossible to see how many baseballs are used during an MLB game.
This does not include baseballs that have been altered in any way, or balls that were hit into the crowd. These are other reasons why teams go through so many balls in an average game. Putting this all into perspective, there are a total of 2,430 games (not including the postseason).
So, on the high end of roughly 120 balls used per game, that would equal a total of 291,600 balls used in the regular season. It must be mentioned that this is based on the highest end of the spectrum, however, it gives a clear perspective of how many baseballs are used in an MLB game throughout the entirety of the season.
The cost tied to how many baseballs are used in an MLB game is also incredible
Based on how many baseballs are used in an MLB game, we can figure out how much the league spends on balls all season. According to Marca.com, the MLB pays an estimated $10,000,000 on baseballs to cover the number of balls required to reach the 96-120 used per game.
On the official website of Rawlings, an official MLB baseball will cost fans roughly $25. Based on this price, the home run balls hit by Aaron Judge or Yordan Alvarez may be more valuable than fans may have thought.