If you wanted an idea of how polarizing Major League Baseball's middle-of-the-season rules switcheroo is, listen to a pair of Red Sox players Wednesday.
Before what would be a 10-8 win for the Red Sox over the Braves, outfielder J.D. Martinez flat-out said that while the majority of pitchers were using substances that will now be banned, his own pitchers shouldn't have a problem with the new way of doing things.
"I don’t think it really affects us," Martinez said. "I don’t think it affects our pitchers, honestly. Talking with our pitchers, nobody really uses that kind of stuff. Nobody uses those kind of substances. So I think it’s going to benefit us."
Then came Garrett Richards' outing a few hours later.
The Red Sox starter not only landed with less-than-desirable results in giving up four runs on seven hits over four innings, but the manner in which he struggled was noticeable.
The curveball which had become such a weapon throughout 2021 - tossing the pitch 15 percent of the time -- wasn't thrown once. Instead, there were 64 fastballs and 20 sliders, both of which carrying a spin rate significantly lower than normal.
After the game, Richards for all intent and purposes admitted what most had surmised while watching him against the Braves -- these new rules were going to be an issue for the righty.
“I think tonight spoke for itself,” he added. “I’m not going to get caught up in (the new rules). But I’ll definitely say it’s starting to affect people, people in their careers. So, we’re going to follow the rules, but this is the game you’re going to get.”
He added, “I think we’re just trying to find something that will allow us to throw more strikes and compete.”
Richards wasn't shy when not only asked about the impact of MLB's approach, but how he has gone about implementing the now banned substances in the past. Oh, and that rosin bag? He's not a fan.
“As soon as I get to the field every day, I put sunscreen on,” he said. “Now I can’t do that. And on top of that, the only thing that’s provided is the rosin bag on the back of the mound, which to be honest with you, is completely useless. It does nothing. It literally, it barely even dries up sweat. It might as well not even be there. I can’t even think how many times over the entire course of my career that I’ve gone to the back of the rosin bag. Sometimes I’ve been on mounds that didn’t even have rosin bags on the back of the mound.
“It by itself doesn’t do anything for anybody. I don’t know anybody that just uses rosin. If we can somehow get a rosin bag that actually worked, I think that’s something that should definitely be looked into.”
While the rule change will undoubtedly lead to higher offensive offensive output, Richards also noted that fans should get ready for longer games, as was evident in the 4-hour, 10-minute marathon Wednesday night.
But perhaps the most striking potential issue was one initially brought up by Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow and reiterated by Richards -- injuries.
"I can’t remember a game where I’ve gripped a baseball that hard (as he did Wednesday)," the Sox pitcher said. "I definitely use a loose grip. I even hit two guys and I don’t hit people. I don’t hit people. With two strikes, too. Trying to go fastballs in and just missing up and in, but not really knowing why.
“There’s gonna be a lot of adjustments made. I don’t know what kind of product is gonna come out of it, but I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”
Let the (new) games begin.