MLB Expected To Adapt 10-Day Suspension For Players Caught Using Foreign Substances

The hammer is about to be dropped by Major League Baseball. According to ESPN, the illegal use of any type of foreign substance on the baseball will be strictly enforced beginning June 21. 

Major League Baseball — deadly serious in its attempt to “clean up” the game — is cracking down on the use of foreign substances by pitchers. Unless you’ve been completely detached from the game of baseball for the past week, you’ve probably heard the many conversations surrounding sticky substances used by pitchers to increase “spin rate” on the ball and enhance their grip. 

“Spider tack” is the new substance of focus, as the spin rate for pitchers has continued to increase this year and offensive numbers continue to plunge. Under the guise of cracking down on cheating in baseball, Major League Baseball is expected to announce Tuesday that it will suspend players caught using a foreign substance for 10 days.

The MLB Players Association said in a statement to ESPN, “The Players Association is aware that Major League Baseball plans to issue guidance shortly regarding the enforcement of existing rules governing foreign substances. We will communicate with Players accordingly once that guidance has been issued. We anticipate future discussions with the League regarding on-field issues, including the foreign substance rules and the baseballs themselves, as part of ongoing collective bargaining. Our continued focus will remain on fundamental fairness and player health and safety.”

The new rules come after a week in which multiple players — mostly hitters — commented on the increased use of substances by pitchers. 

The Twins Josh Donaldson spoke on the issue on a call with reporters, calling the rampant use of foreign substances the “next steroids of baseball ordeal.” 

“If you want to clean the game up — because to me, this is going to be the next steroids of baseball ordeal, because it is cheating and it is performance-enhancing — the only way they get it through and to get it out of the game is if they get checked every half-inning,” Donaldson said. “If a new pitcher comes out, they get checked immediately by the umpire. Once they start doing that, it’ll be gone, and you’re going to start seeing offense come back into the game.”

Donaldson didn’t stop there, going on to accuse Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole of using the sticky stuff in order to increase his spin rate. 

“Is it coincidence that Gerrit Cole’s spin rate numbers went down (Thursday) after four minor leaguers got suspended for 10 games?” Donaldson said. “Is that possible? I don’t know. Maybe. At the same time, with this situation, they’ve let guys do it.” 

Offensive numbers have been way down for the 2021 season and — as of May 31 — the league-wide batting average was an anemic .236. Major League Baseball did alter the baseball in the offseason with the intention of “deadening” the ball after years of record home run numbers, an issue that some players find to be more concerning than pitchers using foreign substances to get a better grip on the baseball. 

“Since the start of the game, pitchers have been using ‘substances’ — I mean, there’s a bag of rosin behind the mound right now to help guys dry their hands and get grip,” New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said. “For me, I think whether they’re using pine tar, rosin, Bullfrog, sunscreen and rosin, whatever they want to use to help control the ball, let them use it. Because for me, I go in the box every single day and I see guys throwing harder and harder every day. I don’t want 99 slipping out of someone’s hand because they didn’t have enough feel for it.”

It certainly will be interesting to see exactly how the rules will be enforced, as baseball is quite aware of the length of their games and won’t want to extend them any further.

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].

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