Seventh inning stretch

The seventh inning stretch occurs at middle of the seventh inning of nine-inning baseball games after the visiting team has been retired. Traditionally, the fans all stand and Take Me Out to the Ballgame is sung during the break. Some franchises have added other songs to the middle of the seventh inning.

The tradition started during Game 1 of the 1918 World Series, on September 5th, when a band present at the game played the Star-Spangled Banner at that time. A military officer present at the game stood up and snapped to attention during the playing, soon imitated by everyone around him and in the stands. The tradition eventually became to play the National Anthem before the game, and other songs during the stretch. After the events of September 11, 2001, added the playing of God Bless America during the stretch, particularly on special occasions. When this is done, it necessitates an extension of the break, as it is considered disrespectful to have players warming up on the field while the song is played. Thus, the normal warm-up begins only once the song has been played.