The seventh inning stretch, when fans get up from their seats after that inning is over for a brief break, is as much a part of Major League Baseball as the beer in the stadiums and the boos of the referees. But the origins of the American tradition, which may date back to 1869, are as obscure as the ingredients of a hot dog.
The best-known origin story concerns William Howard Taft, who was 27e US President from 1909 to 1913. In an opening game in Washington against the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14, 1910, he threw the first pitch before taking a seat in a box near the field. Midway through the seventh inning, the 300-pound Taft – “a baseball lover,” according to a newspaper article – stood up to stretch his legs. The crowd, thinking the president was leaving, stood up out of respect.
Taft’s story is part of the “mythology” of the seventh round, says author Chris Epting, who has written more than 30 books on the history of sports and pop culture. He compares tales of the origins of the seventh inning to stories about Babe Ruth’s famous “Called Shot Home Run” in the 1932 World Series. Did Ruth really point the field at the center of Wrigley Field before hitting the circuit ? No one really knows for sure.
The well-known second tale of the seventh inning involves Brother Jasper, the first baseball coach at Manhattan College, and a game on a hot day in 1882. Jasper, who was also the disciplinary prefect of the Catholic school, noticed that the spectators were exuberant. So, he asked for a time out during the seventh inning and asked the fans to stretch their legs. Jasper’s respite in the seventh inning was eventually embraced by the New York Giants, who played exhibitions against Manhattan College.
These two origin stories were overshadowed by the discovery of a letter written in 1869 by Harry Wright, manager of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team. “The spectators all stand up between the halves of the seventh inning, stretch their legs and arms and sometimes walk,” Wright wrote. “In doing so, they enjoy the relief that comes from relaxing from a long posture on hard benches.
Wright’s letter may be documented proof that the stretch predates Elder Jasper and President Taft, but it does not bring us any closer to the origin of the tradition. One theory is that it stems from another American tradition: commerce. The break between rounds gave fans time to purchase a snack or refreshment without missing out on any action.
American tradition baffles British law enforcement in 1918
The seventh inning stretch is a long-standing American tradition.
Mark Goldman / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Newspapers from the early 20th century were littered with references to the “seventh inning.”
In 1914, a cigar company advertised their product as Philadelphia’s “Choice of 50,000 Seventh Round Stretchers”. “
During World War I, the tradition caused consternation among law enforcement officials during a match between American servicemen in England. “When hundreds of American spectators gave that old, familiar seventh inning stretch,” a newspaper reported in May 1918, “London police officers on duty at the baseball stadium were surprised and feared there were problems. . “
In 1919, a newspaper berated fans who had not accepted the seventh round: “It is almost as bad to stay in your place as when the national anthem is played or the colors of the country are reviewed. ”
The same newspaper explained why the women portrayed during the brief hiatus: “This costume she wears is the last word of the aparel spring. [sic]. She has to show it and will never have a better chance. Fans of the time often dressed up for the games.
In 1925, a Florida newspaper observed: “No nation today performs a rite as punctually or in numbers as overwhelming as the seventh inning rite, observed six months a year in every American baseball park.”
And, in 1927, the Galveston (Texas) Daily News reported: “It is a custom in the baseball world to stand up and cheer for the seventh inning, especially if the home club is behind. We were surprised that this was not observed on Sunday when the Cokes [minor league team] came to bat two runs bad in the seventh. Nothing encourages players to come out from behind more than the seventh inning. “
Harry Caray Adds ‘Take Me To The Ball Game’ To Tradition
Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray sings “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during a 1996 game at Wrigley Field.
Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
Every time the seventh inning stretch was designed, it ultimately became part of the ballpark experience. And, in the mid-1970s, legendary Chicago baseball broadcaster Harry Caray inadvertently added the lore soundtrack, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Widely regarded as the national baseball anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was written by Jack Norworth in 1908. The Tin Pan Alley songwriter was inspired to write the lyrics when he saw a advertisement for baseball as he took the subway to the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants. (Today, it’s one of the three most popular songs in the United States, behind “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday”.)
After the seventh round began, Caray sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” in the broadcast booth while he was a White Sox broadcaster from 1971 to 1981. He didn’t know it at the time, but flamboyant team owner Bill Veeck secretly placed a PA microphone in the booth so the crowd could hear the broadcaster’s render. Caray finally picked up the mic and sang the tune to every game at Comiskey Park. A tradition was born.
From 1982 to 1997, Caray sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” while he was the Cubs broadcaster at Wrigley Field. Other teams picked it up, and soon it was played in all stages of the MLB between the top and bottom of the seventh inning.
Maybe even this “baseball lover,” William Howard Taft, would approve.
READ MORE: Who Invented Baseball?
