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Diaranson 16 Juni 2021

MLB threatens pitchers with 10-game bans for altering balls

(AP) — Pitchers will be We have a responsibility to
ejected and suspended for our fans and the generational
10 games for using illegal talent competing on the field
foreign substances to doc- to eliminate these substances
tor baseballs in a crack- and improve the game.”
down by Major League
Baseball that will start While Bill Miller, president
Monday. of the Major League Um-
pires Association, was quoted
The commissioner’s office, as being supportive in the an-
responding to record strike- nouncement, there was no
outs and a league batting similar statement from the
average at a more than half- Major League Baseball Play-
century low, said Tuesday ers Association. The players’
that major and minor league union said it was reviewing
umpires will start regular the memo and did not have
checks of all pitchers, even if immediate comment.
opposing managers don’t re-
quest inspections. Players suspended for viola-
tions will not be replaced on
While suspensions would the active roster.
be with pay, repeat offend-
ers would receive progres- Rosin bags will continue to
sive discipline, and teams and be allowed but rosin cannot
club employees would be be combined with sunscreen
subject to discipline for fail- The last pitchers suspended been passed down from older tribute to a style of pitching or other substances, and
ure to comply. for using foreign substances players to younger players, in which pitchers sacrifice pitchers are being told not
were Baltimore’s Brian Ma- from the last generation of location in favor of spin and to use sunscreen after sunset
“After an extensive process tusz and Milwaukee’s Will players to this generation of velocity, particularly with in outdoor stadiums and not
of repeated warnings with- Smith for eight games each players, and I think there are respect to elevated fastballs. to use it at all in indoor ball-
out effect, gathering infor- in May 2015. Both appealed, some things that are certainly The evidence does not sug- parks. Umpires will inspect
mation from current and and Smith’s penalty was cut out of bounds in that regard.” gest a correlation between rosin bags before games to
former players and others to six games while Matusz’s improved hitter safety and make sure they are standard.
across the sport, two months ban was upheld. MLB told teams on March 23 the use of foreign substanc-
of comprehensive data col- it would increase monitoring es.” As part of the initiative, um-
lection, listening to our fans The perception of an in- and initiated steps that in- pires will check all starters
and thoughtful deliberation, creased use of foreign sub- cluded collecting balls taken The anticipated clampdown multiple times and all re-
I have determined that new stances, tied to a drop in of- out of play from every team already appears to have had lievers either at the end of
enforcement of foreign sub- fense, is viewed as the larg- and analyzing Statcast spin- an impact. his first inning or when re-
stances is needed to level the est instance of widespread rate data. moved, whichever occurs
playing field,” baseball Com- cheating in baseball since the Fastball spin rates averaged first. Caps, gloves and finger-
missioner Rob Manfred said rise of steroids, which ended “Based on the information 2,306-2,329 revolutions per tips will be checked. Umps
in a statement. in the adoption of random collected over the first two minute each week from the also may check when they
drug-testing with penalties months of the season — in- start of the season though notice sticky balls or when
“I understand there’s a his- ahead of the 2004 season. cluding numerous com- June 5, according to MLB perceiving a pitcher going to
tory of foreign substances plaints from position players, Statcast data. his glove, cap, belt, uniform
being used on the ball, but pitchers, umpires, coaches or body in a manner that may
what we are seeing today is Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, and executives — there Following an owners’ meet- be to retrieve or apply a sub-
objectively far different, with singled out by Minnesota is a prevalence of foreign ing on June 3 when talk of a stance.
much tackier substances be- Josh Donaldson for a drop substance use by pitchers crackdown emerged, the av-
ing used more frequently in spin rate in a June 3 start, in Major League Baseball erage declined to 2,282 dur- Catchers will be subject to
than ever before. It has be- dodged a question last week and throughout the minor ing the week of June 6 and routine inspections and posi-
come clear that the use of for- about whether he had ever leagues,” MLB said. dropped to 2,226 on Sunday. tion players may be searched.
eign substance has generally used a Spider Tack, a sticky
morphed from trying to get substance designed for use by “Many baseballs collected The major league batting av- Pitchers will be responsible
a better grip on the ball into Strongman competitors. have had dark, amber-col- erage was .232 through April, for foreign substances found
something else — an unfair ored markings that are sticky down from .252 two years on catchers and position
competitive advantage that is “I don’t quite know how to to the touch. MLB recently ago and under the record low players. A position player will
creating a lack of action and answer that, to be honest,” completed extensive testing, of .237 set in 1968, and it was not be ejected for possession
an uneven playing field.” Cole said. “There are cus- including testing by third- .236 through May, its lowest of a foreign substance unless
toms and practices that have party researchers, to deter- since 1968. the umpire determines the
mine whether the use of for- player was applying it to a ball
eign substances has a mate- The average rose to .247 in to aid a pitcher.
rial impact on performance. the week of June 6, lifting the
That research concluded that season average to .238. Violators are subject to ejec-
foreign substances signifi- tion and decisions are not
cantly increase the spin rate The strikeout percentage subject to replay review. Re-
and movement of the base- since June 3 is 23.4%, down fusal to allow inspection will
ball, providing pitchers who from 24.2% until then, and be presumed to have violated
use these substances with an the walk percentage is 8.4%, rules and will be ejected.
unfair competitive advantage down from 8.9%. Club employees who assist
over hitters and pitchers who players in using or masking
do not use foreign substanc- “This is not about any indi- foreign substances or who
es, and results in less action vidual player or club, or plac- refuse to cooperate or who
on the field. ing blame,” Manfred said. fail to report violations will
“It is about a collective shift be subject to fines and sus-
“In addition, the foreign sub- that has changed the game pensions.
stance use appears to con- and needs to be addressed.