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As someone in Europe whose knowledge of baseball is from US movies: are there technical barriers to test for a coating substance? I believe that the ball does

As someone in Europe whose knowledge of baseball is from US movies: are there technical barriers to test for a coating substance? I believe that the ball does not belong to the team that pitches it, right? It is given to them by the referee (?). So what's the problem to check if there is any substance on it after the game (the part where one team has control of the ball) and if there is anything, well they are disqualified. Or is it that nobody is interested in changing the status quo?

umanwizard 5y ago
Dozens of balls are used per game, not just one, but yeah in principle they could check them. The only reason I can imagine it being hard is the balls get pretty banged up from dirt, bats, sweat, etc. — not sure how well illegal grip substances would survive.
csin 5y ago
Know nothing about baseball. What I can gather from the article: "Pitchers head in there before games to swipe tongue depressors, which they use to apply their sticky stuff to wherever they choose to hide it, then return afterward to grab rubbing alcohol to dissolve the residue." "Once baseballs are out of play, they are supposed to be thrown into the home dugout, where they can be collected by MLB for analysis. Some teams, observers note, have tried tossing especially sticky balls into the visitors’ dugout."
jbeam 5y ago
They have been checking balls as part of their information gathering to see the extend of the problem, but remember there is no one ball. The ball is replaced pretty much any time it does anything other than go directly from the pitchers hand into the catcher’s mitt. Also any time it is fouled off, or hit into play, etc. If you watch an at bat and the ball hits the dirt, you will see the catcher get a new ball from an ump. So the "sticky stuff", as it is sort of being childishly called throughout the league, is usually on the pitcher somewhere — some like to put it on the brim of their cap, some in the glove, some in their belt, you get the idea. Frankly, they have been very blatant about it all season. After every new ball they “go to their cap” or “go to their glove” to get more grip again. It’s been pretty blatant, actually, pitchers have been really thumbing their nose at the league. Example: https://twitter.com/jomboymedia/status/1399904704293969921 https://twitter.com/jomboymedia/status/1399904704293969921

umanwizard 5y ago

Dozens of balls are used per game, not just one, but yeah in principle they could check them. The only reason I can imagine it being hard is the balls get pretty banged up from dirt, bats, sweat, etc. — not sure how well illegal grip substances would survive.

csin 5y ago

Know nothing about baseball. What I can gather from the article: "Pitchers head in there before games to swipe tongue depressors, which they use to apply their sticky stuff to wherever they choose to hide it, then return afterward to grab rubbing alcohol to dissolve the residue." "Once baseballs are out of play, they are supposed to be thrown into the home dugout, where they can be collected by MLB for analysis. Some teams, observers note, have tried tossing especially sticky balls into the visitors’ dugout."

jbeam 5y ago

They have been checking balls as part of their information gathering to see the extend of the problem, but remember there is no one ball. The ball is replaced pretty much any time it does anything other than go directly from the pitchers hand into the catcher’s mitt. Also any time it is fouled off, or hit into play, etc. If you watch an at bat and the ball hits the dirt, you will see the catcher get a new ball from an ump. So the "sticky stuff", as it is sort of being childishly called throughout the league, is usually on the pitcher somewhere — some like to put it on the brim of their cap, some in the glove, some in their belt, you get the idea. Frankly, they have been very blatant about it all season. After every new ball they “go to their cap” or “go to their glove” to get more grip again. It’s been pretty blatant, actually, pitchers have been really thumbing their nose at the league. Example: https://twitter.com/jomboymedia/status/1399904704293969921 https://twitter.com/jomboymedia/status/1399904704293969921