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“Pitching From the Shoulders Up”: Spitball Pitching in the Negro Leagues

Homerun hitting reenergized Major League Baseball (MLB) in the aftermath of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Babe Ruth’s towering blasts off the new, hitter friendly “jackrabbit ball” of the 1920s led players and fans to embrace a new brand of showmanship on the diamond.[1]

The league-wide ban on spitballs following the 1920 season tilted the rules even more in favor of the sluggers. Fortunately, spitballing found a new home in professional baseball. The recently formed Negro National League (NNL) became a bastion for spitball pitchers. While Negro League officials claimed that their games adhered to Major League rules, NNL players, managers, and umpires accepted ball doctoring as a part of their sport.