ARLINGTON, Texas – Major League Baseball umpires began searching pitchers for sticky substances Monday to handle balls.
A practice that had been against the rules for several years, but rarely exercised, will no longer be overlooked. The measure began on Monday when minor league and major league umpires began regular checks on all pitchers for sticky substances to give them a better grip on the ball, but which can also help increase ball rotation, which makes it harder to hit.
“I think I’ve seen it all in baseball, but this is new, it sets a new precedent,” said Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker, who is currently in his 24th season as a Major League helmsman after 19 seasons as player.
Asked whether the use of these substances was tacitly allowed in the past, Baker replied, “You didn’t really make a fuss about all of that, but it was against the rules, so we’ll see.”
Any pitcher caught using foreign substances could be expelled from the game and subsequently suspended for 10 games.
Jacob deGrom was the first pitcher to be inspected under the new guidelines in the first game of a doubleheader between the Mets and Braves. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner passed the test.
The Mets and Braves were two of 14 teams with games scheduled for Monday, six days after a five-page memo was sent to the teams about the rulemaking change following what Commissioner Rob Manfred described as a long process of repeated warnings to no avail.
Fans at Citi Field booed when umpire Ben May got in the way of deGrom to the dugout as he finished the first inning safely, including two strikeouts.
Crew chief Ron Kulpa ran from third base and asked deGrom for his glove and cap, and the pitcher handed them over with a laugh. Kulpa checked and returned them, then asked him to unbuckle his belt to check it.
With Kulpa’s permission, deGrom walked to the booth while laughing with catcher Tomás Nido.
Braves starter Kyle Muller, who was making the first start of his major league career, was also inspected at the conclusion of the first inning.
DeGrom appeared to ask May if he needed to be re-inspected at the conclusion of the second inning, but May said no. However, a new revision was carried out after the fifth episode, unleashing new boos.
Manfred said last week that it was necessary to enforce the restrictions on foreign substances to “even the situation” after two months of collecting data, including inspections of balls used in games and tests carried out by independent inspectors. All of this happened at a time when batting percentage is at its lowest point in more than half a century and the number of strikeouts is hitting all-time highs.
Any suspended player cannot be replaced on his team’s active roster. Braves manager Brian Snitker said he met with his players Sunday to discuss the measures.
“I think the most important thing we wanted to reiterate is that if you are suspended, we cannot replace you,” he said Monday. “That is important. I think everyone is aware of what is happening and how serious it is, not to fool around and get suspended, because it is definitely a hard blow for the team ”.
Asked whether sticky substances were a problem in the past, he stated: “You could tell the guys were using something. I could hear the ball coming out of his fingers, “said the manager.
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