Baseball - online puzzles

A baseball is a ball used in the sport of the same name. The ball comprises a rubber or cork center wrapped in yarn and covered with white horsehide or cowhide. A regulation baseball is 9–​9 1⁄4 inches (229–235 mm) in circumference (​2 55⁄64–​2 15⁄16 in. or 73–75 mm in diameter), with a mass of 5 to ​5 1⁄4 oz. (142 to 149 g).The leather cover is commonly formed from two peanut-shaped pieces stitched together, typically with red-dyed thread. That stitching plays a significant role in the trajectory of a thrown baseball due to the drag caused by the interaction between the stitching and the air. Controlling the orientation of the stitches and the speed of the ball's rotation allows a pitcher to affect the behavior of the pitched ball in specific ways. Commonly employed pitches include the curveball, the slider, the two-seam fastball, the four-seam fastball, the sinker, the cutter and the changeup.

History

In the early, mid-1800s days of baseball, there was a great variety in the size, shape, weight, and manufacturing of baseballs. Early baseballs were made from a rubber core from old, melted shoes, wrapped in yarn and leather.