Since baseball existed, pitchers have used a variety of legal and other methods to treat the ball. Some people want the ball to spin more, others want it to spin less. Some want more movement, some want more control.
Max Scherzer, Mets co-ace, baseball’s highest-paid, and Hall of Fame track superstar right-handed starter, is the latest pitcher to defy the rules of Major League Baseball with his methods on the mound. It’s about the use of foreign substances, and issued an updated statement, but didn’t exactly clarify things.
In this case, Scherzer, who was ejected Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, claims he used rosin, which is legal. It claimed to be stickier than any hand.
Scherzer offered little excuse or denial about the stickiness of his hands when asked about the decision to drop the appeal and hand out a 10-game suspension. did not admit that
“I played against the Dodgers. I know them,” Scherzer said of the team he’s pitching in 2021. they understood. they know me I made a name for myself in the game. The players understand
The good news for Scherzer is that while baseball may have a long memory for players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, pitchers caught in baseball remedies usually have long-term consequences. In the case of Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton, for example, acknowledging practice didn’t stop the clever starter from being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In that spirit, here are some excuses and confessions of guilt that have been offered over the years.
‘Expectorating’ by Nels Potter
Spitballs and other “freak” pitches Banned in baseball in 1920, their use applied to pitchers known to use them. As a result, it wasn’t until 1944 that baseball was ejected and suspended for rule violations. The St. Louis Browns’ top-his starter, Nel Spotter, received a 10-day suspension after being accused of “waiting” for the ball in the game’s victory over the Yankees.
Browns manager Luke Sewell defended his pitcherPotter had a nervous habit of running his finger over his tongue and drying it against his uniform.
“What’s wrong with blowing with your fingers?” Sewell asked, subtly changing his action to blow rather than spit or lick. “Some pitchers are doing it,” Sewell went so far as to provide an example, saying Tex Hewson of the Boston Red Sox did the same thing.
Lew Burdette’s “Best Pitch”
Did Lew Burdette throw a spitball? Not necessarily, but he was happy the hitters thought it was him. Biography of Burdette by the American Baseball Research AssociationThe three-time All-Star said: Burdett estimated that Spitter’s intimidation made his other pitches more effective. “My best pitches are the ones I don’t throw,” he said.
Gaylord Perry’s “Greaseball”
Gaylord Perry was a 314-win, two-time Cy Young Award winner, and five-time All-Star, but he did little to hide his use of illegal drugs to improve his pitch. “Gris balls, grease balls, grease balls, that’s all I throw at him, and he’s still hitting them,” Perry said of Rod Carew in 1977. I think he can pick the dry side because he sees the ball so well. ”
Perry and Carew were inducted into the Hall of Fame together in 1991.
Perry wrote a book called “Me and the Spitter” during his playing days. Perry said of his lubricant, “I always had it in at least two places in case the referee asked me to wipe one off. I didn’t want to, that would be unprofessional.
Don Sutton sandpaper
In 1978, four-time Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Don Sutton was ejected by chair umpire Doug Harvey. Suspended from the National League To “get baseball dirty”. Sutton made a fuss and said: I will sue Doug Harvey, the National League and whoever is umpiring. ” The matter was finally resolved and the suspension was lifted.
Afterwards, Sutton’s anger over such accusations abated, and Sutton joked that he and Perry had a mutual understanding.
“He gave me a tube of Vaseline,” said Sutton. “I thanked him and gave him a piece of sandpaper.”
“Fooling” by Kevin Gross
Rather than grease or spit, Kevin Gross of the Philadelphia Phillies was ejected from the game, 10 days suspension In 1987, because a referee found sandpaper glued to his gloves.
“I had sandpaper stuck in my glove,” Gross told reporters the next day. “They thought I was rubbing the ball and got sent off. I didn’t rub the ball last night.” I claimed I didn’t use it.
4 years Gross Repeatedly asked MLB to return the graband finally came true in 1991.
“I’m just happy to have it,” Gross said. “I don’t think the league should have kept it all along. My gloves.”
Habits and Practices by Gerrit Cole
When the use of substances like spider tack came under MLB’s crackdown in 2021, one player who drew much criticism was Yankees ace Jerritt Cole. rate.
When asked directly whether he used spider tack, an extremely sticky substance developed to help powerlifters grip huge stones, Cole makes something akin to a denial. Instead, he gave a precedent for the ball doctor.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure how to answer,” Cole said during a Zoom conference with reporters. “I mean, there are habits and conventions that have been passed down from older players to younger players, from previous generations of players to players of this generation. I think there is.”
Cole said he would support MLB if the league wanted to “legislate a few more things.” He then struggled some the rest of the season, allowing an AL-high 33 home runs in 2022. But in 2023, he looks like one of the top starting pitchers in the game.
