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Ball Doctoring: A History of Excuses, Denials and Knowing Winks

If baseball’s history is any indication, Max Scherzer’s suspension over ball-doctoring accusations will not affect his long-term reputation.

Max Scherzer of the Mets said he was outraged when he was ejected by the umpire Phil Cuzzi from Wednesday’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. By Thursday, Scherzer had accepted a 10-game suspension.Credit...Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

For nearly as long as baseball has existed, pitchers have been using various methods, legal and otherwise, to doctor the ball. Some want the ball to spin more, some want it to spin less.