Pitching for Omaha on a humid July day in New Orleans, an umpire ejected Lamb in a one-run game for supposedly throwing at a batter. As Lamb recalls, he’d given up a home run then sailed a curveball behind the batter as he struggled to grip the ball.
Lamb’s memory of the moment was refreshed this month when Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer sparked a discussion with social media posts that called into question the spin rates of Houston Astros pitchers and whether they’ve been aided by the use of foreign substances.
Lost in Bauer’s initial comments was his larger argument calling for MLB to pick one substance, make it allowable and have it available at the back of the mound, similar to a rosin bag.