When Trevor May throws his first pitch in a Mets uniform this season, he'll be gripping a newly designed ball. Again.
Major League Baseball announced that it will slightly alter the baseball in 2021, changes that the league says will slightly shorten the distance of balls hit over 375 feet, in an effort to combat astronomically high home run rates over the past two seasons.
MLB was under speculation of changing the baseballs for the 2019 season after scientists tested the balls following multiple pitcher complaints that the ball had lower seams. MLB denied any intentional changes to the ball during that time, but are now taking a more transparent approach. May joined Moose & Maggie on Tuesday to talk about the saga of the baseball, and other tweaks that the game will undergo in 2021.
"Every single person who has been on the field knew they were different," May said of the baseballs that have been used over the past two seasons. "Everyone who has touched one, you could literally cut open the seams and look inside, and the balls were wound differently. It's just very clear. It's interesting that the official stance what that there was nothing different about them, and later the official stance was that they were going to put them back to what it was."
May saw his home run rate actually drop from 2018 to 2019, when complaints of an altered baseball first began to arise, but in a shortened 2020 season, his home run rate jumped from 1.1 to 1.9. With a more deadened ball on the way for 2021, May hopes to have an easier time keeping the ball in the park when going against new opponents in the NL East like Bryce Harper and Ronald Acuna Jr.
"I just continue to prepare based on the information that I get," May said. "It's an interesting announcement. If we continued to go the way we were going, they could have just deadened them and not said anything. But that sounds good as a pitcher. Yeah, dead ball, I'm all for it."
While the ball should have less carry than the past two seasons, May and all other relievers across baseball will still have added challenges in 2021, with the league and the players agreeing to bring back temporary rules changes this season, including beginning extra innings with a runner on second base. It will make life tougher on pitchers like May, but he understands the purpose of the change.
"I'm always a vocal critic on anything that makes being a reliever harder, and putting a guy on second base in extra innings definitely does that," May said. "The three-batter rule directly does that too. But I understand the premise behind them and speeding up the game. It's a double-edged sword. There's times when you're thankful for it and there's time when it effects your job."
May will dodge more increased difficulty with the universal DH not being brought back for the 2021 season, meaning May's first season in the National League will see him face fellow pitchers on a regular basis, who haven't faced live pitching since 2019. But had the league brought back the DH, May would have been ready to face deeper lineups thanks to his previous experience with the Twins.
"I've pitched against the Victor Martinez's and the Edwin Encarnacion's about 100 times, and the Nelson Cruz's of the world so many times that it's just normal," May said. "Having them in both leagues…I'm indifferent. I don't really mind either way."
As for whether these temporary rule changes should become part of the game beyond 2021, including seven-inning doubleheaders, May just hopes the opinion of the fans is taken into account before making long-lasting changes to the sport.
"The seven-inning doubleheaders, that's a double-edged sword too," May said. "Anyone who has played in a major league game knows having to play a day/night doubleheader day, that is a rough day. That is a long time to be locked in, especially if you don't get that first one. It creates a little more excitement going back-to-back. You don't roast your bullpen quite as much and starters can go complete games, so there are some benefits. But I understand from a fan standpoint, they want to see as much baseball as possible. Do I think it should stay? I would say at that point you have to factor in the fans in making that decision beyond covid."
Listen to May's full interview with Moose & Maggie below!
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