During yesterday’s edition of FanGraphs Audio, the present author and Dave Cameron began a meandering and ultimately conclusion-less inquiry into the amount of actual, physical baseballs used during the course of a typical nine-inning game, with estimates ranging from around 50 to, according to Cameron, “hundreds.”

Below are three answers, aggregated with little effort from the internet and according to credible sources.

“[A]n average of seven dozen baseballs per game.”

Source: Steve Vucinich, Oakland Athletics Equipment Manager

“[T]he average nine-inning game requires nine dozen baseballs.”

Source: Jake Efta, Progressive Field Umpires Attendant

“[A]n average of eight to 10 dozen baseballs are used each game.”

Source: Tim Burke, Minnesota Twins Assistant Equipment Manager

The conclusion: somewhere between 90 and 120 balls per game, probably, making the average lifespan of a baseball about 2.5 to 3.0 pitches.

Credit to reader Ben Hall, who endeavored to supply actual facts to this conversation.