Important baseball question

Because it can.

Oh, wait....That's the answer to why a dog licks itself. My bad.

maybe because the pitcher could throw it in the dirt to intentionally scuff it so he can get a better grip. whereas the pitcher can't control if someone his a grounder?

Following a base hit up the middle, the ball is still in play, so the pitcher continues to use the same ball unless a player or the umpire calls timeout. A pitch in the dirt with a runner on is different from one where no one is on base.

As previously noted, umpires are concerned about the pitcher gaining an unfair advantage by using a scuffed ball or a ball with dirt/mud on it.

The average life of a major league baseball is approximately 7 pitches before it is either fouled off or taken out of circulation. In the minor leagues, college, or high school game, baseballs are reused more frequently. A catcher may hand it to the umpire after hitting the dirt simply to get a clean or dry baseball.

I believe those balls you see that hit the dirt and get thrown to the ball boy eventually get looked at and if they aren't scuffed they are put back into the game.

Henry Porter II wrote:

I believe those balls you see that hit the dirt and get thrown to the ball boy eventually get looked at and if they aren't scuffed they are put back into the game.

That would make more sense. Because after all, baseballs are designed to be able to hit the ground without being ruined. Maybe it is just an accepted practice by umps to accommodate both pitcher and hitter to feel at ease that it is an even playing field.

It would take too long to call time after every batted ball to get a new baseball. You must call time to get a new ball because if time is not called, the runner could advance while they are exchanging baseballs.

Honestly, if the ball hits the dirt a few times, it won't give a significant advantage to the pitcher, so a batted ball that rolls mostly in the grass anyways won't give a statistically significant advantage. I've umpired lots of little league games where the same 5-6 balls get used for the whole game, and the only real problem is when the balls hit a metal fence. I know there isn't nearly as much spin/speed on the ball, but still.

It's also a time saver for the catcher to give the ball to the ump automatically when a pitch hits the dirt, without the pitcher asking for a new ball. Otherwise, once the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher, it's still a live ball and the pitcher would have to call time out to get a new ball.

So the main difference that the OP is seeking is that the ball is constantly live (except for time outs), and the simplest time to swap out a ball is when the catcher already has it and swaps it with the ump.