Trends in professional baseball tend to be cyclical with some years the batters have the upper hand; while in others the pitchers are the ones who rack up the stats.

So far, the 2021 season has been a pitcher’s paradise with seven no-hitters and the season isn’t even halfway through.

One reason given for the drop in batting averages is an increased spin rate in the baseballs. One thing that can increase the spin rate of a baseball is the application of a foreign substance. Pitchers are currently allowed to use rosin but no other substances; that practice will continue.

Major League Baseball is looking to crack down on such activity and has announced that any pitcher caught using a foreign substance will be immediately ejected from the game and suspended for 10 games. The new ruling will take effect beginning June 21, 2021.

After spending the past three months collecting and evaluating baseballs used in games, the MLB noted, “many baseballs collected have had dark, amber-colored markings that are sticky to the touch. MLB recently completed extensive testing, including testing by third-party researchers, to determine whether the use of foreign substances has a material impact on performance. That research concluded that foreign substances significantly increase the spin rate and movement of the baseball, providing pitchers who use these substances with an unfair competitive advantage over hitters and pitchers who do not use foreign substances, and results in less action on the field. In addition, the foreign substance use appears to contribute to a style of pitching in which pitchers sacrifice location in favor of spin and velocity, particularly with respect to elevated fastballs. The evidence does not suggest a correlation between improved hitter safety and the use of foreign substances.”

Along with calling the balls and strikes, umpires in all baseball games – major and minor leagues – will inspect pitchers for foreign substances…even in cases where an opposing manager does not make the request.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement on the ruling saying, “ after an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field”.

Currently the 10 game suspensions will be with pay; however, repeat offenders will receive progressively more severe penalties. While a team may call up a replacement player in time of injury, teams will no be allowed to augment the roster due to a suspension.

Considered a form of cheating, the “widespread” use of frieign substances by pitchers is seen as the biggest form of cheating since players began using steroids nearly two decades ago.

As with any ruling change, there are some players who are taking issue with the change…

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow equates his recent elbow ligament injury to having to make a change in how he pitches. Glasnow said, “to tell us to do something completely different in a middle of a season is insane. It’s ridiculous. There has to be some give and take here”. He added, “you can’t just take away everything and not add something. Pitchers need to be able to have some sort of control or some sort of grip on the ball. … I don’t want a fastball to sail away and hit somebody in the face like it already has”. Glasnow admitted to using sunscreen and rosin when he pitched but made a change for his June 8 start saying, “I went cold turkey, nothing. I woke up the next day and was like, I am sore in places that I didn’t even know I had muscles in. Like I felt completely different. I 100% believe that contributed to me getting hurt. No doubt.”


New York Mets general manager noted, “I don’t think it changes much from what’s been in the past there as far as the rule book, but there’s just been a little bit more noise about it”.

When New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole was asked about whether or not he used a foreign substance on his balls after a noted drop in his spin rate; Cole said, “I don’t quite know how to answer that, to be honest. There are customs and practices that have been passed down from older players to younger players, from the last generation of players to this generation of players, and I think there are some things that are certainly out of bounds in that regard.”


Statisticians are constantly looking for new stats to add to the game; the most recent addition is the spin rate of the baseballs. According to MLB Statcast, the spin rates of pitches thrown averaged 2,306 to 2,329 revolutions per minute from the beginning of the season until June 5. Since June 6, the spins rates have dropped to an average of 2,226rpms.

Since the beginning of the 2021 season, batting averages among the players has been its lowest in over 50 years. Since June 6 when a crackdown on the use of foreign substances was announced, the batting averages have begun to rise.