So baseball passed a rule outlawing the spitball, although 17 pitchers were allowed to be grandfathered in.
The discoloration of the ball due to pitchers doctoring it was said to be a contributing factor to him not seeing and reacting to the pitch in time. In 1920, Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was struck in the head with a pitch and became the only player to ever die during a game. In the early 20th century, pitchers figured out that if they used saliva on the ball, they could alter the movement of pitches, and later on pitchers began using more sophisticated foreign substances like petroleum jelly or scuffing the ball using an emery board. So, what’s wrong with using foreign substances on the ball?Įver since pitchers were allowed to strike hitters out, they have been looking for ways to gain an advantage. A third one, also in the NL, was so sticky that when an opponent tried to pull the glue off, three inches of seams came off with it.įinally people in the game are starting to talk about what has been the biggest open secret in baseball - pitchers are using foreign substances on the ball. Another one, corralled in a different NL dugout, had clear-enough fingerprints indented in the goo that opponents could mimic the pitcher’s grip. One ball made its way into an NL dugout last week, where players took turns touching a palm to the sticky material coating it and lifting the baseball, adhered to their hand, into the air. Recent articles at The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and ESPN have revealed just how widespread and extreme the use of foreign substances is in baseball.
With batting averages continuing to plummet around baseball in correlation with a rise in strikeouts and pitcher velocity, there has been increased attention on what pitchers are doing to improve their performance.