Baseball’s biggest pitching change this season will happen on Monday, when MLB umpires will begin monitoring pitchers for foreign substances, with ESPN reporting there will be a special caveat for closers.
MLB announced that pitchers will face inspections even if they are not requested. If found with foreign substances to assist with grip on the ball, the pitchers will be ejected and given a 10-game suspension.
The process will include inspections between innings for pitchers, except for closers, who will be inspected before they pitch, according to the report.
An additional exception: Umpires can inspect any pitcher they feel is showing suspicious behavior during an inning; this inspection would come between batters and not in the middle of an at-bat.
ESPN’s report said the closers’ exception is in place to account for walk-off losses in a blown save, avoiding a heat-of-the moment inspection.
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The commissioner’s office said Tuesday the checks apply for both major and minor league umpires.
June statistics show lower strikeout totals coupled with higher batting averages in the wake of the announcement of the coming inspections.
–Field Level Media