Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 15, 2004
Bigger Balls?

Jason Schmidt believes the baseballs they are using in spring training are bigger this year.


If the ball looked bigger to Schmidt at the plate, it also felt that way as he gripped it on the mound.

"It's not the same size," Schmidt said. "Every guy in here has said it. We play catch with (last season's) All-Star Game balls, and they're smaller. I don't know if the position players have noticed but we have"

Schmidt hypothesized that the dry air in Arizona might cause the balls to expand. He was curious whether pitchers in Florida have picked up on the difference.

"I can tell you I've noticed," he said. "When you're throwing 115 pitches every five days and playing catch every day, you notice."


Balls are allowed to vary in size, between 9 and 9 1/4 inches in circumference. (Rule 1.09). So the balls could very well be bigger, and still be legal balls.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:52 PM | Equipment | TrackBack (1)
Comments

Geez, just when I thought size didn't matter, now this. :)

Posted by: Edw at March 16, 2004 09:08 AM

"So the balls could very well be bigger, and still be legal balls."

Yeah, but what are the odds of ALL of the balls being 9 1/4 inches in diameter, ie the largest possible legal balls? Not too good. Unless, as Schmidt (wisely) speculates, the change in size is due to the atmosphere.

But then, of course, wouldn't it be a commonplace already that it's harder to train in AZ? Wouldn't somebody have noticed by now that it's far more fatiguing on the pitchers? So that's pretty hard to buy, too.

But why would MLB want them any larger? The league ERA was terrible last year anyway. Pitchers' purgatory. How could they possibly want MORE runs?

Posted by: Sam at March 16, 2004 11:29 AM

Is Bon Scott in charge of equipment this year?

Some balls are held for charity
And some for fancy dress
But when they're held for pleasure,
They're the balls that I like best.
And my balls are always bouncing,
To the left and to the right.
It's my belief that my big balls should be held every night.

I've got big balls
I've got big balls
And they're such big balls
Dirty big balls
And he's got big balls,
And she's got big balls,
But we've got the biggest balls of them all!

Posted by: Dave at March 16, 2004 01:24 PM

Dry air would make the balls smaller not bigger.

Posted by: Steve at March 17, 2004 10:50 AM