Sticky stuff 101 – Everything you need to know as MLB’s foreign-substance crackdown begins

Their hat, glove and belt will be looked at while the rest of the uniform is also in play if umpires deem it necessary.

When a pitcher has to exit because he has been caught using foreign substances, umpires will be the ones who will hear it from coaches, players and fans, even though they’re merely acting on the league’s intentions.

Rogers: If they’re acting suspicious as they visit a pitcher on the mound, they can be checked out by the umpires as well.

The threat of the crackdown appears to be having an impact as June has been a better month of balls in play, although the warmer weather across baseball also can play a part in offensive improvements.

This could’ve been handled so much more smoothly, either by waiting until the forthcoming offseason to allow pitchers to adequately adjust to throwing the baseball without anything on it or by warning them about an upcoming crackdown before last offseason.

Gonzalez: The better the grip, the more spin that can be generated on breaking balls and four-seam fastballs, the latter of which use spin to create the “rising” illusion and, thus, produce swings and misses.

is sufficient alone to address any serious concerns about grip and control.” But that runs counter to what I have heard from several pitchers, who say the major league balls are often dusty and chalky — especially when a few days have passed since they were rubbed up — and are too difficult to grip without a tackier substance.

The league’s plan had been to come up with a uniform substance with which to rub up baseballs before the game, replacing the mud that had been utilized since the mid-20th century.

That could mean reduced spin rates and hard contact going up — or just more contact, in general.

On June 5, our own Buster Olney reported that major league umpires would begin strictly enforcing the use of foreign substances within weeks.

For obvious reasons, those who say they don’t use anything are all for the crackdown — think soft tossers and sinkerball artists.

Gonzalez: The pitchers I have spoken to are surprised the league lumped those who use pine tar or sunscreen in the same group with those who deploy more exaggerated grip enhancers like Spider Tack or Pelican Grip Dip, given that the league — and its hitters — have historically turned a blind eye to the former group.

If hit-by-pitches rise above their current level, you’ll see a cry for help — possibly from pitchers and hitters.

Gonzalez: Also, though, this will undoubtedly help them gain some semblance of an advantage, and they’ll happily take it given how much of an advantage pitchers have gained through analytics.

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