#MLB reveals ‘needed’ plan to crack down on cheating pitchers

Major League Baseball will begin cracking down on its sticky situation beginning Monday, the commissioner’s office announced Tuesday.
Pitchers will be subjected to ejections and 10-game suspensions if caught using illegal foreign substances to manipulate baseballs, the release stated, and umpires will be allowed to randomly check pitchers, even if not requested by opposing managers.

“After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “I understand there’s a history of foreign substances being used on the ball, but what we are seeing today is objectively far different, with much tackier substances being used more frequently than ever before.

“It has become clear that the use of foreign substance has generally morphed from trying to get a better grip on the ball into something else — an unfair competitive advantage that is creating a lack of action and an uneven playing field.”

Penalties will rise for repeat offenders, the statement added, with teams and other club personnel also subject to discipline if failing to comply. Pitchers will be checked as they are coming off the mound at the end of an inning or after they’ve been replaced.

Umpires also may search catchers and position players for sticky substances, with the pitcher usually earning the ejection if a teammate is caught with foreign substances.

Any players refusing to cooperate with an umpire’s inspection will be “presumed to be in violation of the rules,” and also subject to ejection and suspension. Banned players also will not be eligible to be replaced on the team’s active roster, another potential deterrent.

“This is not about any individual player or club, or placing blame,” Manfred said. “It is about a collective shift that has changed the game and needs to be addressed. We have a responsibility to our fans and the generational talent competing on the field to eliminate these substances and improve the game.”

MLB initially had informed teams in March that it would begin collecting balls removed from play and analyze Statcast data on spin rates to determine the extent of the problem.

“Based on the information collected over the first two months of the season — including numerous complaints from position players, pitchers, umpires, coaches and executives — there is a prevalence of foreign substance use by pitchers in Major League Baseball and throughout the minor leagues,” MLB said in its release. “Many baseballs collected have had dark, amber-colored markings that are sticky to the touch.

“MLB recently completed extensive testing, including testing by third-party researchers, to determine whether the use of foreign substances has a material impact on performance. That research concluded that foreign substances significantly increase the spin rate and movement of the baseball, providing pitchers who use these substances with an unfair competitive advantage over hitters and pitchers who do not use foreign substances, and results in less action on the field.”

According to Statcast data, fastball spin rates dropped from an average of as much as 2,330 revolutions per minute over the first two months of the regular season to around 2,225 on Sunday, one week after talk of a crackdown emerged from the owner’s meeting in early June.

League-wide batting averages rose from .236 at the end of May to .247 through June 6 after those meetings. Strikeout percentages also have dipped slightly since the pending enforcement was first reported.

MLB’s statement added that rosin bags still be permitted, but rosin cannot be combined with sunscreen or other substances, with umpires advised to inspect rosin bags before games to ensure they meet standards.

“Foreign substance use appears to contribute to a style of pitching in which pitchers sacrifice location in favor of spin and velocity, particularly with respect to elevated fastballs,” MLB said. “The evidence does not suggest a correlation between improved hitter safety and the use of foreign substances.”