After repeated efforts by Major League Baseball to dissuade pitchers from using illegal substances in order to get a better grip on the ball and create more spin, the league is going to crack down on the practice by giving umpires more latitude.
Details on the more aggressive enforcement were still being worked out after owners were informed that the practice is prevalent around baseball, according to sources.
Besides giving umpires more latitude, The New York Post, citing sources, reported that MLB’s current thinking is to also put more responsibility on teams to apply the rules and to better enforce the rules in the minor leagues.
Last month, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos was asked to change hats by umpires in a game against the Chicago White Sox after he had a substance on the cap, which was sent to the commissioner’s office. The Cardinals claimed it was just sunscreen and dirt.
MLB has been collecting evidence all season in the form of balls, equipment and clothing and isn’t satisfied players and teams are curbing the use of foreign substances on their own.
“Any chance we get to equal the playing ground is what’s necessary,” White Sox closer Liam Hendriks said in a zoom with reporters on Thursday afternoon. “As long as it’s even across the field. That’s all that I ask for … We need to make sure that we govern it.”
More spin on the ball allows it to stay on the same plane longer, giving a hitter less chance to react when it breaks. The crackdown comes amid years of rising strikeout totals around the league.
Pitchers contend substances like that are useful for grip in order to know where the ball is going when they throw it, indicating the safety of the hitter is at stake. But the league has determined the practice is out of control so a crackdown is coming.