Different colored baseballs

Answer 1

Dark leather was first used for the cover of baseballs because it was readily available and easier for the players to see when the ball was hit in the air on a clear day. White baseballs were later introduced (1861) because most ball fields at the time had heavily wooded area back drops, and it was easier to see the white ball.

Interesting to note that in the early 1970s Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley tried to introduce a bright Orange Baseball. The Orange Baseball had two principal advantages over conventional white baseballs: (1) fans could follow the flight of an orange ball more easily than a white ball, especially when hit to the outfield, and (2) the batter could more easily see an orange ball being delivered at a speed of 90-100 miles per hour out of the normally white background of a pitcher's uniform. In exhibition games where the ball was used, fans reacted in an overwhelmingly positive manner to the Orange Baseball. Umpires also attested to the benefits of the Orange Baseball, stating that the ball was not only easier to see from behind the plate, but gave rise to a greater number of hits and fewer fielding errors. The Idea was never picked up by Major League Baseball.