WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Old Ballgame: The 7th Inning Stretch

Episode Date: February 29, 2024

A look at the origin of the 7th inning stretch.

Welcome to the old ball game, where we talk about the past of America's favorite pastime. I'm Tick Christensen. Today we talk about the origin of the seventh inning stretch. There are two commonly told origin stories. The first has to do with President William Howard Taft. When he was president in 1910, he threw the first pitch at an opening game in Washington, D.C. Following the top half of the seventh inning, rumor has that the Taft stood up from his seat to stretch. The crowd thought he was leaving and stood out of respect.

The second myth centers around a small school in New York, whose coach and also the Catholic school's prefect of discipline, saw that the crowd was going a bit stir-crazy. So, in the middle of the seventh inning, he called for a timeout so that spectators could stretch. The game then carried on as normal. No one knows for sure which, if either of these stories are true. But regardless, the tradition has stuck around for many years. This has been the old ballgame on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.