With an MLB record 6,105 home runs hit during the 2017 regular season, players, media members and fans speculated whether there were unreported changes to the baseballs. Aside from the astronomical number of homers hit, some pitchers were adamant it was the case, because of trouble with blisters.
The postseason brought about more claims of altered baseballs being used, and those complaints grew louder during the World Series. Yu Darvish noted a difference in balls he used warming up, compared to what he encountered in his Game 3 start.
It led to him using with World Series-specific baseballs ahead of his outing in Game 7. While some may have been affected by the slickness or feel of the ball, Brandon Morrow was not among them.
During an appearance on The Bullpen With DA, Morrow said he only noticed a pen did not write well on the baseballs, and he otherwise paid little attention to the matter:
“I didn’t notice anything different in handling the ball. One thing guys did bring up was, we signed about 12 dozen balls so that everyone would have a baseball signed by the team, and the pen didn’t take to a lot of them the way it normally takes to a baseball. That was the only thing I kind of agreed with, the way the pen went onto the ball was a little weird. The ink wasn’t smooth, it was kind of choppy. I don’t think it affected my grip at all. Also, I was trying not to think about it.”
After a successful regular season, the right-hander was a stalwart for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the playoffs and Fall Classic. He became the second pitcher in MLB history to appear in all seven games of a single World Series.
Morrow is currently among the seven Dodgers who reached free agency. He’s expressed a desire to re-sign with the club, and has also fielded reported interest from the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.
