MLB Twitter reacts to league cracking down on pitchers using illegal substances: "Again? Still?" "Find a baseball that doesn't feel like a cue ball"

MLB will once again be on the lookout for pitchers using illegal substances. A memo was sent out to all 30 teams on Thursday detailing how umpires will go about cracking down on "sticky stuff."

Umpires' inspection of pitchers' hands and gloves will be more detailed and frequent. The inspections can be random, and the umpire may check anything, including fingers, belts, hats, etc.

One thing that is new this year is that the checks can be random. Last season, starting pitchers were checked after innings, while relief pitchers, especially closers, were often checked before innings. This year, checks can come before or after innings for any pitcher.

Umpires have been given more control with these checks this season. If an umpire observes suspicious behavior from a pitcher, they can go and do an inspection in the middle of the inning.

This isn't what MLB fans want to see. For a league that has put speeding up the game to the forefront this season, this seems like a step backward.

Fans can't believe the league hasn't switched balls or developed anything other than a rosin bag for pitchers to use. Having umpires check pitchers is something that the league can easily avoid.

MLB's crackdown on "sticky stuff" is a problem it created

Baseballs, for the most part, aren't very tacky. You can even see this at the high school level. Before a high school game, you'll see the pitchers or the coach rubbing the baseball up to give them more of a grip.

Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League adopted a baseball back in 2011 that came pre-tacked. They don't have to rub the ball up before the game. This has been something MLB fans have been asking for since the league implemented mid-inning checks.

Umpires slowing down the game to check and see if Justin Verlander, Shohei Ohtani or Clayton Kershaw are using illegal substances can easily be avoided. Perhaps the league will come up with an alternative option in the future.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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