Well, let me tell you, I been watchin’ baseball since, well, since forever it seems like. And I always wondered about them baseballs. How many of them stitches they got on ’em? How many seams in a baseball? You know, them red lines that go ’round and ’round.
That Ball Got How Many Stitches?
Turns out, them baseballs, they got a whole bunch of stitches. They say it’s 108 double stitches. Now, I ain’t sure what “double” means in this here case, but it sounds like a lot, don’t it? 108! That’s more’n the number of chickens old Mrs. Johnson used to have, and she had a whole heap of ’em!
So, if you count each one of them little stitches, not the double ones, but each little one, you’re gonna get to 216. That’s what they say. 216 little stitches holdin’ that ball together. They use that red thread, you know? Makes it look kinda pretty, all wound up like that.
Why So Many Stitches?
Well, I reckon they gotta use all them stitches to keep that ball from fallin’ apart. Imagine them fellas hittin’ that ball with them big ol’ bats. If it weren’t sewed up tight, it’d bust wide open first time it got whacked!
- They gotta make ’em strong.
- Gotta hold that leather on there.
- Gotta keep it round, I reckon.
That leather they use, they say it’s horsehide or cowhide. Imagine that! They wrap that ball up in that, and then they sew it all up with that red thread. And them stitches, they ain’t just for show. They help them pitchers throw them fancy pitches, I hear. Makes the ball curve and dip and all sorts of things.
One Big Long Seam
Now, here’s somethin’ that confused me for a while. They talk about stitches, but they also talk about seams. How many seams in a baseball? Well, turns out, there’s really just one big long seam on a baseball. Just one! It goes round and round, all twisty-like, holdin’ them two pieces of leather together.
It’s like when I sew up a hole in my old apron. I just use one long piece of thread, and it goes back and forth, back and forth. Same idea, I suppose, just a whole lot more stitches on that baseball.
They say this one long seam makes like a figure-eight pattern. I can kinda see it, if I squint my eyes just right. It’s like two loops all joined together. And that pattern, that’s important, they say. Helps the ball fly through the air just right.
It is a good game, baseball. It has many rules. In 1934 they made it so all the baseball are the same, 108 double stitches, all in red.
Those Stitches Do More Than You Think!
Them pitchers, they’re real clever with how they hold that ball. They use them seams to make the ball do all sorts of tricks. They can make it go fast, slow, sideways, even drop down like a rock. It’s all about how they grip that seam. And the way them seams are raised up, that helps too, I reckon. They said the seams make the ball accurate. The ball goes where it should go.
So, next time you’re watchin’ a baseball game, take a good look at that ball. Think about all them stitches, that one long seam, and how it all works together. It’s more complicated than you might think! It ain’t just a ball, it’s a whole lot of work, all sewed up tight with that pretty red thread.
And to think, it all starts with some leather and some thread. They wind that yarn around some cork or rubber, and then they wrap it all up in that horsehide or cowhide. How many seams in a baseball? Just one, but that’s all it needs!
I remember one time, my grandson, he tried to take a baseball apart. He wanted to see what was inside. Well, he made a right mess of it, I can tell you that! Those stitches are strong! He finally got it open, though, and you know what? It was just a bunch of string and a little ball in the middle. Not much to look at, really. But put it all together, and it’s somethin’ special, ain’t it?
Baseball, it’s a good game. Been around a long time. And I reckon it’ll be around a lot longer, long as they keep makin’ them baseballs with all them stitches and that one long seam.
Those stitches are important. They make the game what it is. Just one long seam and 108 double stitches. They are all important. It is amazing, you know? A simple thing, a ball. But also not so simple.
