seventh-inning stretch is a tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game – in the middle of the seventh inning . Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around . It is a popular time to get a late-game snack or an alcoholic beverage as well , as vendors end alcohol sales after the last out of the seventh inning . The stretch also serves as a short break for the players . Most ballparks in professional baseball mark this point of the game by playing the crowd sing-along song " Take Me Out to the Ball Game " . Since the September 11 attacks , many American ballparks complement or replace the song with the playing of " God Bless America . " If a game goes into a fifth extra inning , a similar " fourteenth-inning stretch " is celebrated ( as well as a possible " twenty-first inning stretch " or " twenty-eighth inning stretch " ) . In softball games , amateur games scheduled for only seven innings , or in minor-league doubleheaders , a " fifth-inning stretch " may be substituted
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Seventh-inning stretch