Pitchers using foreign substances

[DuWayne Steurer]

I agree that "rule changes" mid-season aren't the best idea. That being said, this is just a rule that they've decided to actually enforce now that people aren't just using rosin and spit, but they're using advanced adhesives to not just help them grip the ball, but to put ridiculous spin and movement on the ball.

 

The other thing is, Glasnow says a lot of hitters have no problem with pitchers using rosin and sunscreen, but in the middle of a game, I do wonder how many of these substances are similar in tack and appearance. It shouldn't be up to an umpire to decide if something is benign (sunscreen) or not. If you're putting something on the ball, the rules are what they are.

 

It's possible if the union comes forward strongly enough, they'll find a decent middle ground. Maybe that happens. We'll see, I guess.

[JosephC]

No sympathy for Glasnow or any other pitcher that might get hurt and make this claim. "I was cheating and you made me stop cheating so it's your fault." Not sure how many people are so morally warped that they would buy this argument, but I am definitely not one of them.

 

The only ridiculous thing about MLB's crackdown is that it didn't happen two off-seasons ago, but that's because Manfred is a complete idiot and is rotten for the sport. As far as changing things midseason, I have no problem with them doing it now. Would rather see a half-season of a clean game with players playing by the rules instead of what we have been subjected to lately.

[brooks_quichenick]

Glasnow's got a point regarding the mid-season rule changes, especially since the player's union - hitters included - seems to be on the same page regarding the sunscreen + rosin combo. The commissioner's office continues to react extremely late to necessary changes instead of being proactive, and enacts their decisions in such clumsy ways.

[homer]

No sympathy for Glasnow or any other pitcher that might get hurt and make this claim. "I was cheating and you made me stop cheating so it's your fault." Not sure how many people are so morally warped that they would buy this argument, but I am definitely not one of them.

 

The only ridiculous thing about MLB's crackdown is that it didn't happen two off-seasons ago, but that's because Manfred is a complete idiot and is rotten for the sport. As far as changing things midseason, I have no problem with them doing it now. Would rather see a half-season of a clean game with players playing by the rules instead of what we have been subjected to lately.

 

I don't think the game has ever been clean.

[umphrey]

They should have done it last offseason, but when it was made so obvious to every baseball fan this year they had to do something

[trwi7]

It's a weird claim by Glasnow because a UCL tear is an repetitive use injury. It was going to partially or completely tear at some point. It's a total coincidence that it just happened to be when he had to start pitching clean.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Glasnow's just venting frustration that he injured his elbow and he's looking for a cause aside from his own physical anatomy. Even if there's a shred of validity to it, the solution to no longer having excessive ability to grip and spin the baseball with goop shouldn't be to strangle it with a tighter grip that puts unnecessary strain on your forearm - a pitcher should make the adjustment by sacrificing a fraction of effort/velo in order to keep the same feel/command. If your stuff isn't quite as sharp because of it, well you never should have been that dominant in the first place but you're still going to be pretty good and you're not pitching in a way that is more likely to cause injury.

 

I actually don't mind the midseason change - to me it really helps show just how pervasive this problem has become in the sport, and it's very obvious what it's done to tilt the scales in favor of pitchers.

[jerichoholicninja]

Can someone explain how sunscreen increases you grip? It's slick. There's no way it does.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Can someone explain how sunscreen increases you grip? It's slick. There's no way it does.

 

Mixing it up with rosin makes a sticky paste-like substance.

[xisxisxis]

Weren't there comments from mlb in spring training that they were going to crack down on pitchers using foreign substances then when the season started nothing changed until the media started to complain about the horrible offensive numbers and uptick in K rates?

[Fear The Chorizo]

Can someone explain how sunscreen increases you grip? It's slick. There's no way it does.

 

Most spray-on sunscreen is actually a little tacky once it's applied onto skin - it's not necessarily the sunscreen compounds themselves but the aerosol additives that attempt to make spray on sunscreens water resistant that gives the effect. adding in powdered rosin to that application winds up making fingers feel like they have sandpaper coating them.

[JosephC]

Weren't there comments from mlb in spring training that they were going to crack down on pitchers using foreign substances then when the season started nothing changed until the media started to complain about the horrible offensive numbers and uptick in K rates?

 

I see Rich Hill is crying that it's not fair that MLB is changing the rule mid-season. But MLB is not changing a rule mid-season. To answer the first part of your question, yes, a memo was issued to players that data and balls were going to be collected and MLB could go as far as suspending players even if they weren't caught during a game. And the pitchers are acting like they are totally blind-sided by this?

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/03/24/mlb-spin-rate-baseball-foreign-substances/6980466002/

 

As far as the media complaining...it's pretty safe to say the only reason this is being enforced now is that the media kept harping on bad offense, spin rates, and the fact that so many average guys were posting videos on the internet with footage of guys cheating. Pretty hard for the league to ignore that, especially when it results in less offense which they likely believe is bad for their pocketbook. I'm still 100% convinced that the only reason the electronic sign stealing crackdown happened is because of all the Youtube videos and it just became too big of a story for them to ignore.

[Simba2020]

I agree these pitchers have nothing to whine about. MLB issued a warning in the spring and it appears that the vast majority of pitchers just chose to ignore that warning and in some (many?) cases just upped their cheating with even better products. With so many obvious violations by pitchers, MLB has really cracked down on it. Pitchers should have done that in the first place.

 

As far as Glasnow saying it was a contributing factor in his injury, I think that is completely bogus. His spin rates weren't even down in his last start.

[pacopete4]

I just don’t understand how a sport can have lifetime bans on players for certain issues but turn a blind eye to other cheating issues. It’s a bit crazy. The best hitter of all time won’t be in the HOF but pitchers blatantly always doing these things hasn’t been an issue. Crazy.

[jerichoholicninja]

Why would pitchers have stopped because of a memo that said we might do something if you don't? Any fringe guy wasn't going to stop because it would cost them their job. Any pitcher without a long term deal wouldn't stop because it would probably cost them millions on their next contract. Pretty much no pitcher would stop because I'm sure their coaches and teammates were encouraging them to keep doing whatever it was they were doing because it would hurt the team if they stopped. There was absolutely no reason for pitchers to stop. I suppose morals and ethics and all that but it hadn't stopped them before this so why would it now.

[SeaBass]

I saw today that Al Leiter had an idea that MLB should just name one universal substance that's is approved for use and provide it on the mound and that way everyone is using the same thing and they'd know what effects it would have. Clearly throughout baseball history there's been an acceptable form of what pitchers use, it's only recently that substances have become weaponized. Just go back to what used to work but didn't shut down offenses throughout the league.

[umphrey]

Approving 1 substance doesn’t do anything to prevent spider tack, etc

[SeaBass]

Approving 1 substance doesn’t do anything to prevent spider tack, etc

Good thing that's not at all the purpose behind the idea.

[bjkrautk]

I saw today that Al Leiter had an idea that MLB should just name one universal substance that's is approved for use and provide it on the mound and that way everyone is using the same thing and they'd know what effects it would have. Clearly throughout baseball history there's been an acceptable form of what pitchers use, it's only recently that substances have become weaponized. Just go back to what used to work but didn't shut down offenses throughout the league.

 

They have that; it's called rosin.

Pitchers have found new substances, partly because of technology, and partly because of lack of enforcement gave them relative freedom to do so.

[djoctagone]

new mlb policy goes into effect monday.

that's today, folks.

[KeithStone53151]

 

Drama in Washington.....

[Underachiever]

 

Drama in Washington.....

That was fun. Scherzer staring down Girardi, Girardi takes the bait and gets tossed. Must-see tv.

[645]

Héctor Santiago became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to be ejected for the use of an illegal substance

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/hector-santiago-ejected-after-glove-inspection

[Oxy]

Hector Santiago just entered the game for Seattle following his suspension. He promptly grabbed the rosin bag and flung it as far away from the mound as possible. He then got a talkin' to by the umps.

[KeithStone53151]

Hector Santiago just entered the game for Seattle following his suspension. He promptly grabbed the rosin bag and flung it as far away from the mound as possible. He then got a talkin' to by the umps.

 

I didn't realize mlb is full of such man-babies. Him, Romo, scherzer...I'm sure there were plenty more hissy fits that I just haven't seen. The rule is the rule, suck it up for 20 seconds and get back to it. I just don't understand. Every hissy fit I see I generally assume said person was cheating and is upset they can't cheat anymore...