2021 pitch doctoring controversy

The 2021 pitch doctoring controversy arose in

Throughout the history of

On June 5, 2021,

By mid May 2021, several batters began speaking out against the use of Spider Tack and other sticky substances. Donaldson threatened to expose "an entire catalog of cheating videos" of pitchers that he believed to be using foreign substances, before telling reporters that he wanted umpires to check "every half-inning" for non-compliance. A video from Hey_Commy, entitled “Josh Donaldson’s cheating catalogue” went viral on TikTok later that week.^[8] J. T. Realmuto, the starting catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, also spoke out against the use of Spider Tack and pine tar, telling The Philadelphia Inquirer, "I think if they cracked down on that, that would honestly help the offense a lot, get the ball in play more often, and less swing and miss."^[12]

Some individuals have argued against MLB's blanket ban on grip-enhancing substances. After Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez lost control of a pitch, fracturing Washington Nationals pitcher Austin Voth's nose as a result, Nationals manager Dave Martinez argued that the injury could have been prevented had Velasquez been allowed to use a substance to increase his grip. Martinez told reporters, "I understand them trying to clean some stuff up. But it's hot, it's slippery, it's sweaty. I know Velasquez didn't throw in there intentionally, but I'm afraid that if we don't come up with something unified for everybody, you'll see a lot more of that."^[13] Tyler Glasnow, a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays who openly admitted to using a mixture of sunscreen and rosin to improve his grip on the baseball, blamed the MLB crackdown on such substances for his season-ending ulnar collateral ligament injury.^[14] Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called Glasnow "courageous" for admitting to using grip-enhancing techniques and criticized MLB for the sudden ban.^[15]

Enforcement

On June 15, 2021, MLB issued a press release announcing new guidance regarding "a uniform standard for the consistent application of the rules, including regular checks of all pitchers regardless of whether an opposing club's manager makes a request." Included in MLB's announcement was a mandate for routine, random checks of all pitchers by umpires in the Major and Minor Leagues, with any player found to have a foreign substance immediately ejected and suspended for 10 games.^[16] Enforcement across MLB began on June 21.^[17]

The process of being checked for sticky substances has been met with scrutiny. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw suggested that an opposing manager should face punishment if he requests a substance check and the pitcher is clean, while Oakland Athletics reliever Sergio Romo, frustrated with the regular checks for foreign substances, dropped his pants in protest. Most notably, Phillies manager Joe Girardi and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer clashed in a game when Girardi requested that officials perform a substance check on Scherzer in the fourth inning of a Phillies-Nationals game. The two clashed over whether the request was made in good faith, with Girardi ultimately ejected from the game.^[18]

On June 27, Seattle Mariners left-hander Hector Santiago became the first player ejected under MLB's heightened enforcement, after umpires discovered a foreign substance on his glove. Both Santiago and Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Santiago was only using rosin, which is allowed, and that it had become sticky when mixed with his sweat.^[19] MLB announced a 10-game suspension for Santiago on June 29, which Santiago appealed.^[20] Caleb Smith of the Arizona Diamondbacks was the second pitcher to be suspended under the new policy; umpires found suspicious material inside Smith's glove on August 18, during a game against the Phillies. He appealed the suspension, arguing that the substance was an accidental combination of rosin and dirt. Under the new policy, Smith would have faced a suspension regardless.^[21]

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