Sep 22, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals salute their fans after their final home game of the season and a victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball. The Dodgers and Cubs had two games in Japan last week, but everyone else gets started today.
Google looked at the top baseball questions and ballpark foods Americans have been searching for.
They posted a map of the top ballpark food each state’s been googling the past week. They include ballpark beer . . . brats . . . corn dogs . . . fries . . . nachos . . . burgers . . . pizza . . . pretzels . . . and pulled pork.
Here are the top five baseball QUESTIONS we’ve been googling . . .
1. What does P.O. mean? Short for “putout.” If you record an out by catching a ball, tagging a runner, or stepping on a base, it’s a putout. (Throwing someone out at home is an “assist.” The catcher gets the putout.)
2. How much do MINOR League players make? As little as $20,000 to $36,000 a year depending on the league they’re in. It used to be less. They got a raise in 2023.
3. How heavy is a baseball? It varies a little. The rules say a ball can’t weigh less than five ounces, or more than five-and-a-quarter ounces.
4. What does O.P.S. mean? “On-base plus slugging.” It combines your on-base percentage with your slugging percentage, or basically how many extra-base hits you get. Fantasy baseball nerds find it helpful.
5. How long are baseball games? Not as long as they used to be. The average hit an all-time high of 3 hours and 10 minutes in 2021. Then the pitch clock arrived, and it got down to 2 hours and 36 minutes last year. So, 34 minutes faster.
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