Indians manager Terry Francona shares thoughts on pitchers using foreign substances
Major League Baseball seems to have a dilemma on their hands when it comes to pitchers using foreign substances.
Just in the past week, two pitchers have been caught and suspended for using foreign substances, bringing a long-time problem back into the forefront.
Indians manager Terry Francona acknowledges that there's a line between cheating and using something to help get a better grip.
"Obviously you want to respect the game of baseball, but you want every pitcher to be able to feel the ball, because when they don't, it starts going places it's not supposed to and that's dangerous," Francona told Ohio.com.
"I get it, if somebody's out there trying to get the ball to drop six inches, to me that's cheating. I know by the letter of the law that putting something somewhere is cheating, but when you're trying to grip the ball, I don't see anything wrong with that."
So what should MLB do about it?
Francona has a suggestion, stemming from a practice used in Japan's pro baseball league, Nippon Professional Baseball.
From Ohio.com:
In Japan, NPB today uses a ball made of horsehide and then wraps it in tinfoil before the ball enters the game. Francona likes the slightly added grip that the process and material gives the ball.
"When they bring it out of the wrapper it goes right into the game and it's got a little bit of tackiness to it. It's great," he said. "It's a good baseball. I think that would alleviate [a lot of the issues].
"I'm hopeful that maybe at some point people smarter than me will be able to figure out a way to make that work. I know you can't let guys have a medicine cabinet you there, I get it, but guys want to be able to hold the ball."
(h/t Ohio.com)
