Prior to the 2022 All-Star Game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said two balls were used in 2021 due to an issue with a Rawlings plant in Costa Rica. A "new, lighter, deader ball" was deliberately used.

But that’s only half the story, Boynton said. Wayne Ferreira, Frances Tiafoe’s former coach, said that even when the balls were high quality, there were too many different ones in play.

The balls are also used during the lead-in swing, including the Western & Southern Open and last week's Canadian Open. Swiatek, who had a 37-match win streak earlier this season, lost in the round ...

Balls are a fundamental part of many sports and millions are produced around the world each year. Many are made of leather - it takes 35,000 cow hides to make the 700,000 balls used in a ...