Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it will crack down on pitchers using foreign substances who are trying to gain an advantage while playing …
Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it will crack down on pitchers using foreign substances who are trying to gain an advantage while playing beginning on June 21. In a press release, MLB said players who are caught using foreign substances will immediately be ejected from the game and receive a 10-game suspension. Umpires will be allowed to check pitchers – even if an opposing manager doesn’t make a request – to make sure they are not manipulating baseballs. The league will increase the suspension for repeat offenders and clubs and team staff will also be disciplined for failure to « ensure compliance. » Some MLB players reacted to the news on social media, including St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty, who shared his thoughts on Twitter in two separate tweets. « What are we doing, » Flaherty wrote in the first tweet. In the second tweet, he screenshot a specific part of a story saying that pitchers have been advised not to apply sunscreen during night games after the sun has gone down or when playing in stadiums with closed roofs. Flaherty wrote « lol » and retweeted that brief passage. Steven Souza Jr., an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was thrilled to see the change. « Those of you who suddenly found a nasty slider/curveball via Spider tack see ya! Those of you who already had a nasty breaking ball it’ll be fun [to] compete against you again, » Souza wrote. Souza also retweeted MLB Insider Robert Murray, who said he spoke to position players who are not happy that pitchers can no longer use rosin and sunscreen on the mound.
