In the Major Leagues, and in the American League, the seventh-inning stretch lasts for a minute and a half. In the National League and in the American League, the seventh-inning stretch lasts for a minute. The National League plays its seventh-inning stretch after the top of the seventh inning, and the American League after the bottom of the seventh inning.
The 7th inning stretch came in the 19th century. The song “Take Me out to the Ballgame” was written by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer and sung by George M. Cohan. A few other songs occur during baseball games… but I don’t know which ones.
I have the complete breakdown of the 7th inning stretch in baseball and more.
The Origins of the Seventh Inning Stretch in Baseball
No one knows the real answer to the question when the seventh inning stretch began, but a lot of people think it started when a fan in the stands asked for more liquor because he was getting thirsty.
Another theory explains that the first stretch occurred in the 1882 baseball season, while the fans were waiting for the seventh inning stretch to begin. The theory claims that before the game could start, the spectators had broken through the second-base foul line and taken a seat on the field, thus creating the “first” stretch.
However, the theory that most baseball fans tend to agree upon was when President William Howard Taft got up and stretched while watching a baseball game on April 14th, 1910. Taft was a big guy at over six feet tall, so he needed to get up and stretch during the long baseball game. As fans saw the president get up and stretch, they did as well, and the popularity of this break in action quickly spread across the nation.
What is the point of the 7th Inning Stretch at Ballparks?
While the point of the pre-game activity was to give a break for fans to cheer for their team, the point of the 7th inning stretch became more of a time-out to give fans a chance to relax, and to give them a chance to use the facilities inside the park. The idea of the 7th inning stretch came in the 1870s for the purpose of giving fans a break and time to relax and use the facilities in the park.
The ad break works very well. It gives the game a rest, and the advertisers can play around with their ads during the pause. They can increase the advertising time, have some special, longer-than-normal ad time, or, in this case, just have more time to buy.
Who Wrote “Take Me Out to the Ballgame?”
It is very true that during the 7th inning stretch, the majority of players will begin singing. Interestingly enough, that is a song that was written in 1934 for the movie “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. The song was written by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer.
The song is so popular that I’ve seen the video of Harry Caray singing it on Youtube a few thousand times. The Cubs have been home for a while and even now, their success doesn’t draw the same level of fan attention, but they still sing at Wrigley Field every game.
Wrigley Field started inviting celebrities to say the line, “Take me out to the Ballgame, Take me out to the Ballgame,” at the beginning of the seventh inning.
What are Other Songs During Baseball Games?
When people think of baseball, they tend to think of the Big Four in the sport: the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cubs, and the Cardinals. In reality, it is actually the National League that produces the most amount of games, while the American League is responsible for a far higher number of World Series.
There are custom songs that play every night of the season, or game of the year for major league baseball teams. These custom songs play on the speakers for each player and there is a song for each player. With custom and personalized music in baseball games, it can be an awesome feeling to be a baseball fan.
Conclusion: What is the 7th Inning Stretch in Baseball?
Although it is hard to say when the game of baseball got its’ first break-in action during a game and who was the first man to break it, it seems that it got started with President William Howard Taft, who was the president at that time, at a game between the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics, during a stretch in 1910. At that time in the 7th inning, he stood up and said “boys, it is time for us to take a short break”, and then took a seat. This action seemed to be a good start to the break-in of the game, and the tradition has been growing ever since.
A lot of the baseball history in America came from the minor leagues, where the real action was. Players would work their way up from the minors to the majors, and many of them had an opportunity to play for the big-league team. The “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” theme song was pretty popular and was performed by a lot of ballplayers and baseball fans during the 1930’s and 40’s.
The tradition of “Take Me Out to the Ballpark” originated in the 19th century. Today, you can hear this song most ballparks, including Camden Yards, which is the most popular. The song encourages fans to get up and stretch, which should mean this song is great for your fitness as well.
