Although the 2021 regular season ushered in some sense of normalcy, MLB enacted a significant change by strictly enforcing rules against the use of foreign substances. To say there was been a major adjustment period for pitchers would be an understatement.
They not only were limited to just sweat and rosin to get a feel for the baseball, but umpires conducted checks for the use of Spider Tack and other sticky substances. While pitchers eventually grew accustomed to the change, lack of grip for the baseball remained problematic.
Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and a flexor tendon strain in June, and blamed his injuries on MLB implementing swift change.
A longer-term solution may be in the works, as according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, MLB is developing a new baseball that would help pitchers with their grip:
The person also said that MLB is currently developing a prototype baseball that would provide a better grip for pitchers that could be ready by the start of the 2022 season.
MLB previously attempted to quell some of the concerns by shortening the window for teams to apply mud to baseballs before games. The hope was baseballs used for games would no longer feel as slick to the touch.
Other pitchers have floated the idea of treating them with a league-approved substance and cited the pre-coated baseballs that are used in Nippon Professional Baseball and KBO League games.
Treinen upset with perception MLB created
Another issue some had with MLB cracking down on the use of foreign substances is the perception it creates that they are cheating.
“The only thing that I really don’t like is it makes every pitcher that comes onto the mound kind of like a guilty culprit until proven innocent,” Blake Treinen said earlier this year.
“We all just look like we’re a bunch of cheaters to the public’s eyes, and that’s not really fair to a majority of the pitchers out there. But we’ll do what we have to do if that’s what it means to clear our names.”
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