Two years ago, the idea of a sticky balls controversy in Major League Baseball seemed ridiculous. However, the permissive culture around using foreign substances on baseballs, combined with pitchers’ need for better grip, led to an increase in the use of sticky stuff that offered a competitive advantage. This issue has led to a crackdown that aims to eradicate illegal substances while ensuring pitchers can still grip the ball reliably. On Wednesday, Max Scherzer was ejected and given a 10-game suspension for having “too sticky” hands, but he insisted it was only rosin and sweat. The critical issue is not the substance but the stickiness, which is subjective and cannot be measured objectively. While the checks are discouraging the behavior, it is an inherently absurd and subjective endeavor to police pitchers’ use of grip enhancements. Umpires went through training to standardize their subjective sensory experiences, but the system is imperfect.

Source – Yahoo Sports

Date – Apr 20, 2023