A significant change is coming to Major League Baseball, almost immediately.
MLB will begin “enhanced enforcement” of the existing rules against pitchers applying foreign substances to baseballs, the league announced in a press release. The new enforcement will begin June 21, which is next Monday.
The topic of pitchers using sticky stuff has been a hot conversation all year, especially after the league announced in March that it would begin investigating the issue. Pitchers are commonly known to use sticky substances to help them safely grip the ball, a practice that’s decades old, and some use even tackier glue-like materials to increase their spin rates and movement.