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Major League Baseball issued a memo to all 30 teams on Friday outlining plans to further crack down on sticky substances this season, according to Sports Illustrated.
According to the report, the memo, from senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill, says: “If an umpire’s inspection reveals that the pitcher’s hand is unquestionably sticky or shows unmistakable signs of the presence of a foreign substance, the umpire will conclude that the pitcher was applying a foreign substance to the baseball for the purpose of gaining an unfair competitive advantage.”
It also went on to state that pitchers can expect more than one mandatory check per game and that relievers will also be subject to at least one check. Position players can also be checked. The increased checks will start immediately in spring training.
A player suspected of having added any sticky substances to the baseball, outside of the rosin bag, will be ejected and subsequently suspended. A player could also be subject to immediate ejection if an umpire sees him attempt to wipe his hands off prior to an inspection, according to the memo.
The league started inspections last June in response to rising spin rates from pitchers and lower batting averages from hitters. Umpires rigorously checking the hats, belts and gloves of pitchers as they left the field between innings or after being taken out of the game. Not long after, the Mariners’ Hector Santiago became the first player to be ejected under the new protocols last season after it was determined there was a foreign substance on the inside palm of his glove.
Spin rates from pitchers continued to drop across baseball initially but they began to climb again later in the season, leading MLB to believe that pitchers had figured out a way to circumvent the checks, according to Sports Illustrated.
This season, the process will be “less invasive” with umpires checking for sticky substances directly on a player’s hand. The rosin bag will also be standardized for the first time and pitchers are advised not to use sunscreen during night games or in closed-roof ballparks to prevent potential discipline, according the memo.
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