E28: The Baseball: Leather, Stitches & Switch Pitchers

Send us Fan MailThe baseball is the only “player” guaranteed to show up for every pitch, and it has a bigger impact on the game than most fans realize. We start with a quick curveball: the switch pitcher, one of the rarest roles in MLB, and the hilarious logic trap that led to the Venditte Rule when a pitcher and a switch hitter kept countering each other. It’s a perfect reminder that baseball’s rulebook often follows the strangest real-world moments. From there, we follow the ball itself through baseball history, from homemade mid-1800s designs with inconsistent sizes and bizarre cores to the push for standardization once the National League formed in 1876. We dig into the Spalding era, why dead ball conditions happened when soft balls stayed in play too long, and how changes like cork centers and tighter wool winding helped fuel higher offense and the infamous “rabbit ball” feel. We also get specific about modern MLB baseball manufacturing: Rawlings’ official factory in Turrialba, Costa Rica, the multi-state supply chain that feeds it, and why the iconic 108 double stitches are still done by hand. Then we connect safety and fairness to the ball’s condition, including the Ray Chapman tragedy that accelerated cleaner ball practices, the league’s crackdown on sticky substances like Spider Tack, and the one old-school exception that’s still required, Lena Blackburne’s baseball rubbing mud. Finally, we talk humidors, why every stadium now locks balls up underground, and the lawsuit that helps explain why a caught foul ball can stay in your hands. If you like baseball trivia, MLB rules, and the hidden engineering behind every game, subscribe, share this with a baseball friend, and leave us a review so more fans can find the show.Email us at [email protected]