JUNE 13: Umpires will check starting pitchers at least twice per game and will examine relievers at least once during each contest, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. A position player will only be checked if umpires believe him to be altering the ball on his pitcher’s behalf. If the umpire finds illicit substances on the pitcher, his equipment will be confiscated and he will be ejected from the game, per Rosenthal.
JUNE 12: Within the next few days, Major League Baseball will send a memo to teams detailing the existing rules against the use of foreign substances on the baseball and how the league will plan to enforce these rules going forward, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. The official order to umpires is expected to come around June 21, since according to one league source, “It’d be great if we could get it cleaned up before they actually start enforcing the rule. The enforcement has not started yet because all parties involved want to give pitchers time to adjust.”
With so much focus and controversy surrounding the illegal-substance problem, there has already been some indication that this pressure might be having an impact on the field. (To name two high-profile examples, Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole have had recent drops in their spin rates.) It’s safe to assume that MLB would prefer to avoid the spectacle of suspending multiple pitchers or even one pitcher for doctoring baseballs, though the league is also planning to take a firm hand in the event of a rules violation. As another source tells Olney, “Nobody wants to see suspensions. But it’s going to happen if somebody is found with something.”
The most visible enforcement of the rule will come in the form of on-field checks, as umpires will make somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 checks per game looking for any foreign substances — essentially anything that be applied to a baseball, except rosin — on both pitchers and position players, with the idea that a position player could secretly sneak something to their teammate on the mound. As to how “visible” these checks will be to fans who aren’t in attendance at the ballpark, umpires will likely conduct their checks between innings, when there is already a natural break in the action.
Olney’s piece also contains the interesting (and perhaps ominous) detail that MLB and the players’ union haven’t had many direct communications about the foreign-substance situation. “Much like estranged spouses speaking through a mutual friend,” Olney notes that the league and the MLBPA have been discussing the issue using the umpires’ union as a go-between. In the wake of last year’s disputes over the abbreviated season and the lack of an agreement over a universal DH this past offseason, this is the latest note of discord between the league and the players, which certainly doesn’t bode well heading into Collective Bargaining Agreement talks this winter.
Now the trick will to get the umps to actually enforce the rule.
Ain’t that the truth. Aren’t you supposed to keep one foot in the batters box between pitches?
Sometimes, the new rules get enforced for about a week, but that one never got an ounce of attention after their passive aggressive memo
Hard for a low level employee to enforce rules on millionaires, even if it is their job to do so… As a former corporate security guard, believe me, I know
That has not ever stopped umps.
Umpires are far from low level employees.
It’s an ultra-competitive profession and I’m sure most players respect the game and umps are an integral component of that.
Umpires won’t enforce the rules. They will send suspected balls to the MLB office.
Ok, but that will be for suspensions. They have the responsibility to eject a player if something is found on the ball, cap, glove, belt, etc.
this stuff has been illegal for 100+ years. why should this be taking so long to start enforcing?
Like it says in the article, they don’t want to enforce it. They just want it to go away.
Veteran umps earn $350k. Not too shabby with 5 months vacation
Because MLB set a standard that went in a different direction than the rule they set.
Yes pass the responsibility on to the people who get paid squat and have the least stake in the game. Well done baseball…..
isnt this kinda their job, though?
@Joel….Maybe you mean “relatively squat?”
Per indeed.com, the starting salary for an MLB umpire is $120,000.
However, I don’t disagree with your point that the responsibility is being passed on to the umpiring crew.
And ranges up to $450k per year with a very comfortable per diem and free first-class flights for tenured umps. I’d like to get paid half of “squat” to do my job and have several months off per year.
Hell I make just under what a freshman ump makes annually and I’ve been doing my job for 17 years. I certainly don’t get automatic first class flights or a generous per diem. I sure as hell don’t get several months off. Although I wish the US would adopt some of the norms from other nations regarding the 4 day work week etc.
Being a umpire is a great gig. Good pay, union protection. Job for life no matter how good or bad you are at it.
paddyo875:
What do you mean “being passed on to the umpiring crew”? Who else is in any position to enforce the rule? Any pitcher using a foreign substance has to be caught in the act. That means during a game, after the pitcher has thrown a ball with a foreign substance on it.
Is MLB supposed to hire special prosecutors, to run on to the field after a guy has thrown a suspected, too good to be true, pitch, and wrestle the offender to the ground, should a foreign substance be found, in order to not to pass the enforcement on to the umps?
Who is going to enforce the rule if not the umps?
@tad I think Paddy might mean that there should be an independent committee to investigate balls. Umps can be first contact to retrieve them. For as long as I can remember, umpires have favorable biases towards veterans. Not right or wrong. Just the way it is. It’s not as prevalent today with electronic monitoring but it still exists. If MLB truly wants an even playing field for pitchers (and effectively hitters), that subjectivity needs to be eliminated completely. Not so easy when it’s systemic.
YankeesBleacherCreature:
First of all there seems to be an assumption that the umps won’t do their jobs. I think that’s wrong.
There’s no reason for a separate independent committee. This is totally within the job description of the umpires. Plus, how does an independent committee find the rule breakers, let alone enforce anything?
What happens, say, if a pitcher, after striking out a batter, the balls used appear to have a foreign substance? Already the pitcher has a complaint about the chain of evidence. Balls are rotated back into play. A pitcher could claim that the substance was already there. You need someone on the field to immediately examine the ball that was just used. There needs to be an immediacy about the process.
Everybody seems to be too concerned about asking umpires to do their jobs, when, without the immediacy that umps would provide, there seems to be no concern about fairness for the pitcher. An independent anything is just an unnecessary, convoluting element in what should be a straight forward process.
This is like complaining nfl refs enforce new rules against hitting QBs
Rules change. Umpires are there to enforce rules
Yes but you put the enforcement on the people who care the least. And the guys who get paid the least. And just like the NFL when something goes wrong they now have a scapegoat. Cheating in the game is a serious serious issue. This would be like hiring cops to enforce our countries tax laws. Yeah they are cops but THEY DONT REALLY CARE!!!!!
That’s what people don’t understand. This isn’t a bunch of Mother Theresa’s here doing the right thing it’s a bunch of greedy millionaires. They are gonna cheat to win just like every other rich person in our country does.
Baseball is about dead. Going to see my boy ONeill in a couple weeks but I barely care anymore.
You’re asking for a lawless society with no one in charge of policing someone in essence
That’s how it works. Someone making less money than someone else is the one enforcing rules or laws. That’s the basis of American society. Why TF are umpires any different? They’re paid to do a job. Enforce the rules. athletes are paid to do their best. That may not always coincide perfectly
But if you don’t have a police force or an umpire force, you don’t have a game.
Well, their job is to enforce the rules much like cops with criminals
Cool. Now get King Clownfred out of the Commissioner’s Office
Wait..you actually expressed a real baseball opinion. You’re doing that now?
>=}}
Manfred is so bad he makes Bud Selig look competent. All of his little league rules (7 inning doubleheaders, extra inning runners, three-batter minimum for pitchers) and a looming work stoppage. Yeah, he’ll really clean things up. Insert eyeroll.
I get the feeling Manfred hates baseball. He just wants to turn it into basketball or football, something that it’s not.
The commissioner speaks and acts for the owners, not for himself, so expanding on your theory it seems the team owners hate baseball and are trying turn it into basketball or football.
We’re serious this time. We are going to enforce this rule. It’s important, so don’t break the rules and we will tell you the date we really mean it. What a bunch of crap, just like the astros deal. We need a new commish.
They’ll make a scapegoat of one pitcher fairly soon after the rules come into force. It’ll be a low level pitcher, they’ll make a big deal about it in the press, pat themselves on the back a lot, and then declare the game clean and fair and never bother trying to stop anyone from cheating in this way again. Same old story.
MLB and the players association better get it together or another strike is around the corner. Everyone is filthy rich. Can’t they just agree on things so fans can watch a nice baseball game?! So sick of all the bs
i think this is fairly small potatoes compared to the issues that both the league and PA would strive to bargain for.
It all depends.
If players start losing paychecks over it you’ll see grievances filed about arbitrary enforcement and how it was unenforceable for so long…then it becomes an issue.
And, I think you’re going to see players who think they can get away with things. And they may get caught. They may even get cute and let someone else on the diamond apply something while they throw it around the horn.
It will be interesting to see if New York phones down to the field crew when statcast shows an elevated spin rate for a guy, sends out the field crew for a called check.
While true that doctoring baseballs has been an issue for a long time, it hasn’t become such a major problem until these pitchers started using new substances that have a much more dramatic effect on the ball.
Performance enhancement drugs like greenies wasn’t enforced until players upped it a notch to steroids, and that’s when that became a problem. If the pitchers were still using rosin and sunscreen like they had been for the last 50+ years, this would not be an issue….but they’ve completely changed the playing field with this spider tack crap and have forced the league to take action. I wish people would quit with the argument about how “it was ok for this many years, why is it a problem all of a sudden?” Duh. Totally different substance. Totally different effects. Totally different ballgame. The players simply pushed the envelope too far
What happened to the art of throwing a scuffed ball? These guys use foreign substances but throw out any ball that has been hit.
I know they mostly don’t have a choice when the ball skips in but when it is close and the ump doesn’t ask for a new ball why does the C throw it out? Learn to use the scuff distract the ump so he forgets to replace the ball. Can do a lot and is not illegal if done during play. Have the ball dropped then twist it in the dirt in the right spot. Get creative but not in a way to get tossed. I know it is not as affective as gels etc but still works.
Perhaps pitchers no longer care to have an emory board on them.
But a scuffed ball is just simply a way of unbalancing the ball. Same principle as a spit ball. Creating that *different* – or “weighted” if you will – rotation is what some spit or scuffs do.
So there isn’t really a “spit ball” or “scuff ball”, per se. Rather, it adds bite or more movement to an existing pitch (i.e. slider, curve, etc.).
These grip enhancing substances are allowing a better (“longer” if I’m understanding it correctly) purchase on the ball which is increasing spin rates.
So although both (all three really) fall under “doctoring the ball” or whatever, they create an advantage in quite different ways.
This isssue is small potatoes in the scheme of things, but the point being made here is if the two sides aren’t able to a have a conversation about even the small things, it bodes not well for the big ones.
It’s society as a whole, not a mlb/mlbpa dysfunctional issue.
Social media, smart phones, internet proliferation. Everyone lives in an echo chamber. Even the government can’t work together. Yes, there are different priorities and pet issues for everyone. But there is, and always has been TONS of overlap where people could come together, IF they wanted to.
Instead, it’s my way or the highway, everywhere. If I don’t get the 10% you disagree with up front, why bother working together where there’s overlap? I’m holding out until I get the 10% first!!!
So, don’t be surprised that there isn’t any working together on even the small stuff. Its all of society.
You are certainly correct about pet issues. My cats are not fans of the puppy I just adopted. Lots of pet drama over here.
Puppies are so awesome.
Working through one myself.
I’ve been through a number of the cat meets puppy pet issue. Mine finally got big enough to hold the cat down & thoroughly sniff it, which seems to have been one of his true life ambitions.
He likes the cat now.
I believe – however – that the cat would murder him without hesitation after suffering through that particular ignominy.
Puppy LOVES the cats…the cats often look like they’re planning how to dispose of her body.
That all sounds about right.
It’s a 2 dog 1 cat ratio here. But 2 cats are most certainly trying to figure out how to kill & eat puppy.
Bet.
The breakthrough here was when this puppy (pointing now) learned “we don’t hunt The Cat”. He’s not – however – fostered this as a general belief in re All Cats.
But there is more peace – & less broken stuff! – around my house now. Pup will be a year in July. Their accord is a relatively new development. But this pup is a super rowdy not so little anymore fella. So there’s that too.
My cats are still young (11 months) so I figure they’ll get over it. They’re from the same litter, so they’re super close with each other. The dog has learned we do not hunt the smaller cat because he is very sharp and quick to smack. The other one is way more laid back and will just kinda hiss or glare at her if she tries to play with him.
My cats walk on a leash, so taking them all for walks they are able to be around each other, but have enough other stimuli to entertain them, I’m hoping enough time together doing that will make them apathetic toward each other.
I’ve heard (don’t know if it’s true) that cats have the desire to kill their owners but realize they don’t have the size or strength to accomplish the feat. Kinda scary if you think about it.
But then who would open the food once they ate you?
I think I hear Gaylord Perry chuckling to himself…..
“Olney’s piece also contains the interesting (and perhaps ominous) detail that MLB and the players’ union haven’t had many direct communications about the foreign-substance situation.”
They have no reason to. It’s already a rule. It’s been a rule for a long time. MLB and umps just looked the other way. Now they’re actually going to enforce the rule.
Self-appointed KingZeke8 –
Yeah, because this is a totally different substance than what the rule was written for and what it was all about up until now. HUGE difference.
I don’t think it will resonate for people until a pitcher gets a significant suspension.
Pitchers are suspending themselves left and right with TJ surgery. Wouldn’t be ironic if they discovered that the use of substances to increase spin rate leads to an increase in TJ surgery?
It’s an inherent risk pitchers take to throw harder and compete. Contracts are guaranteed whether they’re active or not. Rewards are even greater year over year when they reach the upper echelon. TJS has become the new norm for significant injury treatment. It’s not exactly a death sentence.
The point I was trying to make was about spin rate, not just velocity. I wonder if trying to increase spin rate is as bad for your arm as trying to increase velocity. I imagine that it is. And by using substances, all you do is increase the efficiency of torquing the ball. I just think it’s the new obsession and like the old obsession (velocity), it’s blowing out arms. And yes, TJ is not a death sentence, but it is a suspension.
Apparently Severino was working with the new tacky stuff and his spin rate got so high he pulled his groin.
Yawn… just bring back the spitball and let the games begin. It’s simple… see ball, hit ball. Adjust.
No big deal. Batters
Cork bats. Have the ball juco CWS to there advantage. Pitchers should doctor the balls. Make the hitters scared.
MLB pitchers have stickier finger than Winnie the Pooh.
But MLB doesn’t want to juice the ball with so many hitters reaching free agency this year.
Pete Alonso was right
LOL
No matter the discord, neither side could be so stupid to allow a strike or walkout to happen. At least I’d like to think so. I wonder if Theo is going to be involved in the CBA negotiations?
You highly overestimate both sides, especially their terrible mouthpieces, Manfred and Clarke
If another strike happens (I think it will next year) the players and the owners will both regret it. They lost plenty of fans for life after the 1994 strike.
Fred, you mention ’94, which is the main reason McGriff isn’t in the HOF.
As for another strike, I have contemplated life without baseball. It’s the only sport I still follow, and I can see myself going down that road. Other stuff to do.
Lets go back to the good old days where everyone was snorting coke and the MLB was pushing drugs like steroids and amphetamines to keep their players and their production up..
Home run, Jonah Heim. Rangers lead the Dodgers, 4-0. Trevor Bauer ain’t so good without the sticky stuff.
Maybe Taillon shouldn’t have been so enthusiastic about the crackdown on pitchers’ helpers:
“I’m really excited for it,’’ the right-hander said Thursday before the Yankees’ 7-5 loss to the Twins at Target Field. “I think it’s gonna help talented teams. … I know it sounds crazy, but eliminating sticky stuff is actually gonna help us going forward.”
He didn’t make it through of the first inning on Saturday. Not a good look.
Think it was somewhere in the area of 32 pitches in the first inning. Worked 1/3 of an inning officially. Phils peppered him with singles until cutch just missed going oppo for a WT sac fly.
Now you’re pushing the ridiculous Bauer hate on this site?
He’s the reason this is coming to light. You’re upset he asked for the game to be cleaned up. He used himself as proof what he was claiming was legitimate
Bauer had a 2.40 era coming into that game with the 3rd most Ks in the NL and 2nd most innings. No, one inning doesn’t prove anything About his talent level. Even pretending it does zaps your credibility. You sound like dark side at this point… not a good look
This will surely speed up the game…
List of things I’d rather watch than a position player pitch.
1, Everything.
I don’t want to see it often, but I always get a good laugh out of the few instances I see it happen each year. Especially if they manage to strike out a legitimate hitter.
make pitchers pitch nude. no concealed carry. can’t hide junk either
Yikes. An image of Bartolo Colon just flashed across my brain and now I won’t be able o sleep.
Even worse than a position player pitching?
He was batting against a position player and hit a home run. He then decided to get caught in a rundown between home and first. Back and forth he went. Slow torture while a naked Rob Manfred paced back and forth in the outfield, trying to think of ways to speed up the game.
How about entering the 21st century and using the available technology to institute a computerized strike zone instead of settling for an average of 15% missed calls behind the plate; and then assign to the HP ump the job of goop detective? He can also make himself useful making calls on plays at the plate.
Goop! There it is.
Sorry.
I chuckled
Who cares. It’s a game
So if you suspend the pitcher if he did something? Why not check all the players on the field? The third baseman can have something in his back pocket to make the ball curve more or maybe the first baseman has something “shiny” off his hat. You just can’t suspend the pitcher if you know others were in involved it’s like a batter having too much pine tar on his bat.
mlb issues 7 gloves and two mitts approved for use during games. everybody hits with same bat.
What if the bat breaks?
get another one
IMO: tough to enforce. to many variables involved.
Balls get tossed out of play by the catcher often. change that rule so Umps have to toss the ball after a quick check. some times the ball does go right to the ump.. make that standard. Practice before a ball is removed from play an ump has to take a quick look unless it is end of inning or something that gets tossed in to stands of course. going to have to give some slack on this early on.. old habits and stuff
After an inning during the brake have that pitcher stop by the ump quick show of the hands hat arms whatever… and then off to the dug out.
Make this mandatory so players don’t think umps are singling out pitchers.
Nothing too drastic, that won’t slow down the play of the game much and would likely catch serious offenders. Which is what we are really worried about.
also give some umps to warn here if they suspect it isn’t intentional. left over pine tar form a position player or something.
Trick is to what to do if something is found after the pitcher has played a few innings with out being caught. obviously ejection but can you go back and replay the inning? probably not add too much time to the game. Next inning put a runner on second like extra inning games? Give the team a free run? if during a batter have the count reset for the next pitcher?
suspensions seem reasonable. though given the times where it ‘could be’ unintentional so make them tiered if you get ‘caught’ four times in the span of a couple seasons… chances are it isn’t unintentional.
I don’t know its a sticky subject where minor infractions might get overly punished.
might be a good idea to add an extra ump for this and for injury sub.
I like a combination of tech and human intervention. First, I really want the strike zone mechanized. Second, measure spin rate on every pitch and have a threshold for seizure of the ball. Third, have an immediate turnaround test for seized balls. Chemistry. Drop the ball in a solution that tells you if a foreign substance is on the ball. Pitcher and catcher both get ejected. That will be a kick in the pants. Second time, game’s over. Winning team hangs out and signs autographs for the fans. Losers go home.
seems like way too much really. mechanical strike zone would give umps nothing to do. might as well just get rid of them.
A “quick eyeball” to catch the bigger offenders and then maybe take it a step further. spot checks on spin rates to check for abnormalities. not every pitch though every pitch recorded to go back and check out for at least the analytics as evidence should something arise.
I can see the catcher getting ejected too. if anyone would know it would be the catcher.
I’m ejecting the catcher as much as a deterrent as anything. There has to be real punishment that can cost games. Spin rate is an easy metric. I just want the strike zone to be mechanical so it’s right. I also think that takes some of the spin rate advantage away. The chemical part is a little tongue in cheek. People got so bent out of about the Astros it’s comically ridiculous. Catch the damn cheaters and move on. The fact that the Astros did it makes every other team look like a bunch of gullible idiots. The fact that pitchers are cheating is the same damn thing. Do something about it or shut up baseball.
Since both attendance and ratings are down, I suggest mandatory strip searching of the pitcher while on the mound twice each game. Think of ratings!!!!!!
Only if the Mets resign Bartolo Colon.
Praying for a strike
yeah, manfraud suspends 360+ pitchers and see if he can sell tickets. he hates baseball!
How many times during each game are the home plate umpires are gonna look for the strike zone?
BOOM!
Well this will ruin baseball as we know it. Even as a Padres fan I don’t care if the Dodgers are doing it. I certainly don’t put it past my Padres as doing it. It’s apart of the game, like it or not and this is going to backfire.
I think they’re all doing it. I say let them use as much grip as possible but let hitters steal signs too.
HR/K derby
I will say this. Regulate humidor balls.
that should speed the game up
What happens during a day game where a pitcher (or other players) have sunscreen on for legit purposes and some of that gets on the ball? Are they going to kick the pitcher/player out for trying to protect himself? Should be interesting to see how this goes…
They should, yes (if they’re actually enforcing this rule). Have someone else apply the sunscreen for you, wipe your hands on your jersey/pants, wash your hands…there are plenty of ways to use sun screen and not have it on your hands. Have you ever gone to the beach?
I think they said sunscreen and rosin don’t trigger a dirty baseball test.
I could be remembering it wrong though
Many good and interesting comments. Thanks for the input. It does seem, however, that MLB is much more interested in ensuring that batters are hitting HRs than low scoring pitchers duels. All of a sudden, home runs are flying again, just in time for full ballparks. Three weeks ago, there was real concern that batters were overmatched. There was talk about moving back the pitcher’s mound and other remedies because batting averages and home runs were way down. Not a conspiracy guy myself but one does hate to have a sense that one is being manipulated.
I think the players feel manipulated.
Rawlings being MLB ran doesn’t help.
Moving the mound back is making more sense to me.
Should help hitters while giving pitchers a lil more reaction time on comebackers.
Manfred should let degrom, cole, and bauer use their grip!
I like seeing fastballs rise.
This is great. Love how the league is tipping off players that there is a raid coming. Especially since this has always been a rule. MLB continues its slide.
You’d make for an interesting traffic stop. “Sure I know I was driving over the limit, but nobody ever pulled me over for it before!”
It’s more like, “Sure I know I was driving over the limit, but everyone does it and nobody ever pulled ANYONE over for it before!”
Same difference, and based on the faulty theory that a rule not being enforced before means that it can never be enforced. On what planet does that cut any ice?
If a pitcher gets caught using an illegal substance is it cheating? If so is it the same as a player using PEDs. Who’s knows how long certain pitchers have been using junk to create better spin rate. IMO if one way of cheating is acceptable then let the flood gates open and allow everything to be used.
I don’t understand how that will work in NL games… if they have chemistry kits out there than ok lol…I realize Pine tar is not the substance of most concern but who’s to say the tackiness is just not simply from “my last at bat”. I just see too many loop holes still, and anyone remember ball getting caught on Yadi’s chest protector? I feel like that’s where lot of the ish comes from