MLB released a memo Tuesday, acknowledging that beginning June 21, players found to be using illegal foreign substances or doctoring baseballs in any way will be subject to an automatic 10-day suspension. Following St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright admitting that he used "stuff" for six or seven games in 2019, his teammate Jack Flaherty tweeted about baseball's new rules on Tuesday.
He first said, "what are we doing" Then tweeted "lol" with a screenshot of part of the memo.
Flaherty pulled out part of the memo that says players can no longer combine rosin with substances like sunscreen to "create additional tackiness" and says all team's rosin bags will need to be checked by umpire before the game "to ensure standardization." It also suggests pitchers shouldn't use sunscreen at all during night games or when playing in stadiums that have an enclosed roof.
Some of the policies outlined in Tuesday’s memo have the potential to be disruptive (former Red Sox and Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has argued that random glove and hat checks could prolong games while also throwing pitchers off their rhythm), those inconveniences are a small price to pay for restoring the game’s integrity. Curious to experience the effects of Spider Tack (which can be procured on Amazon for as little as $19.99), a number of Twitter users have experimented with the popular pitching aid, reveling in its adhesive qualities.
Flaherty’s concern over when and how sunscreen can be applied is valid, though if players use it as intended, protecting their skin (presumably during daylight hours) and not as an ingredient in some diabolical concoction, there should be no problem.
Wainwright, admitted to previously trying a sticky substance supplied by disgraced equipment manager Bubba Harkins (the subject of a recent Sports Illustrated profile), but said he only used it a handful of times. Meanwhile, another Cardinals pitcher, Giovanny Gallegos, had his hat confiscated by umpire Joe West (who noticed a suspicious black mark on the bill of his cap) during an appearance last month. Gallegos remained in the game (he was issued another hat) but manager Mike Shildt was promptly ejected for arguing, which became the impetus for a lengthy, but nonetheless eye-opening, post-game monologue on baseball's "dirty little secret."
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