MILWAUKEE – The Cincinnati Reds have been branded with the moniker, “Spincinnati,” for their collection of high spin rate pitchers.
Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone have some of the highest spin rates in all of baseball on their pitches. Sonny Gray, Heath Hembree and Tyler Mahle are probably in the next tier.
Now, all that spin will be under a microscope. Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it will crack down on the use of foreign substances and enforcement will begin Monday. Umpires are instructed to check all pitchers at least once every game.
Any pitcher who possesses or applies a foreign substance will be ejected and receive an automatic 10-game suspension.