Eighth Inning Stretch

Lore & Background

The seventh-inning stretch is a long-standing tradition where fans stand and sometimes walk around. The text notes that 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' is played at most professional ballparks during this time. It mentions that in Japan, the break involves two parts: one after the sixth inning for the away team's fight song and another after the top of the seventh for the home team's fight song.

In Their Own Story

The source recounts several origin stories for the seventh-inning stretch, including Brother Jasper calling a timeout in June 1882 at Manhattan University and President William Howard Taft standing to stretch on April 14, 1910. It also details how broadcaster Harry Caray popularized singing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' with the Chicago White Sox and later the Chicago Cubs. Specific team traditions mentioned include the Baltimore Orioles playing 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy,' the New York Mets playing 'Lazy Mary,' and the St. Louis Cardinals playing 'Here Comes the King.' The text explicitly states that the New York Yankees play Robert Merrill's rendition of 'God Bless America' before 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' during their seventh-inning stretch, but it offers no narrative or historical account of a similar practice occurring in the eighth inning for the Red Sox.

Reader's Guide

Fans generally stand and stretch between the halves of the seventh inning. It advises that this is a popular time to get snacks or alcoholic beverages before sales cease after the last out of the seventh. For teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Health Canada officials lead stretching exercises during the seventh inning. The Texas Rangers play 'Cotton-Eyed Joe' after 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game.' There is no guidance in the text for an eighth-inning event, as the document strictly defines the break and associated rituals within the context of the seventh inning (or fifth/fourteenth in specific game formats).

Did You Know?

• The earliest known written record of the seventh-inning stretch is from 1869, disproving the myth that the term does not appear before 1920.
• Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, the composers of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' had never attended an actual baseball game when they wrote the song.
• In Japan, the seventh-inning stretch consists of two distinct parts: one after the sixth inning for the away team's fight song and another after the top of the seventh for the home team's fight song.
• Though Brother Jasper of Mary is often credited with starting the tradition in June 1882, the stretch is documented earlier (e.g., 1869), making that claim misleading.