Dodgers: Trevor Bauer Breaks Down the 3 Types of Foreign Substances Pitchers Use
The foreign substance issue that has swept across MLB has brought a ton of confusion. For fans that are relatively new to the sport or even brand new, it but be a VERY confusing time. Luckily, we had a Dodgers pitcher break down some of it for us on Sunday.
Trevor Bauer made an appearance on the ESPN broadcast to talk about the issue raging across MLB. The Dodgers pitcher did a full breakdown of the different types of substances, even breaking them down into categories.
Bauer listed out those categories in terms of which provided the most unfair competitive edge.
So there are 3 scenarios. You have 1 where you have absolutely nothing on your hands, they’re dry or they’re sweaty but you have no rosin or substance. If your hands are dry or really sweaty, the ball will slip out of your hand. Because there is really no grip on a baseball. The next scenario is a little bit of tack. That’s sweat and rosin or sunscreen and rosin. ….it’s not going to give you a ton of performance enhancements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB9ApvzDo4
Those first 2 substance categories are what MLB players have used for years now. And for the most part, players haven’t had much of an issue with that. But as the Dodgers pitcher explains, it’s the third category that seems to have ruined it for everyone.
The third scenario is the performance enhancers. That’s your pine tars, your pelican grip dips, your spider tacks, whatever other mixtures people make. That allows you to really relax with the ball and keep it stuck to your fingers.
It helps to have someone break it down for fans since none of us are obviously playing the game at the highest level. When the Dodgers went out and signed Bauer, they knew that his war on foreign substances was something they would have to deal with eventually.
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So now we know. And Major League Baseball will continue to police the game for ALL substances, not just the third category. We’ll see how well that goes.
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