Should MLB Limit Pitchers Being Searched For Foreign Substances?

Should MLB Limit Pitchers Being Searched For Foreign Substances? | Sports Takes & News | TooAthletic.com

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The era of strip searching MLB pitchers has begun with Cy Young winners like Jacob de Grom and Max Scherzer being subjected to an umpire pat down. The era (or error) started Monday when MLB began their crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances to increase their spin rate and ball movement, and to say it was met with resistance would be an understatement. Now, some in the media are worried some managers have seen which pitchers are more effected by the crackdown, and will use it against them during games, to which I say … TOO DAMN BAD.  That’s because you can’t limit how many times a rule is enforced no matter how much you don’t like the rule or how someone reacted when the rule is enforced. 

This is incredible.

Joe Girardi asked the umpires to check Max Scherzer for sticky stuff again.

Scherzer’s reaction:

pic.twitter.com/rHHWU6KIzV

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 23, 2021

What has been dubbed the “Gamesmanship Clause” by Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News, the concept of putting limits on searching pitchers for foreign substances too all of two days after the searching began. At the center of the proposal is Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who, during his start Tuesday night against Philadelphia, was search at the end of the first and third innings by umpires. Each time the three-time Cy Young Award winner displayed his disgust with the search, but complied before returning to the dugout. His reaction, however, inspired Phillies manager Joe Girardi to call for a third search with one out in the fourth inning, leading many to wonder if Girardi was only looking to get under Scherzer’s skin and had a new way to do so. 

Phillies manager Joe Girardi and Max Scherzer got into a stare down after Girardi requested umpires check Scherzer for foreign substances for a third time.

Girardi was ejected after the altercation. pic.twitter.com/3B6kGLbudL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2021

Two things are important to point out:

1. Managers have ALWAYS had the ability to ask umpires to inspect a pitcher’s uniform and glove if they felt he was using foreign substances during a game.
2. Under the current rules, according to an MLB memo Fagan quoted on Wednesday: “If a manager makes a request for inspection, the umpire will determine whether and when to inspect the pitcher, taking into account when the pitcher was last inspected and whether the request was made in good faith. If the umpires feel that a field manager or acting field manager is making a request for a purpose other than the suspicion of foreign substance use (e.g., to gain a competitive advantage), the umpires can choose to refuse the request and, if they determine the request was made in bad faith, eject the manager.”

Meaning Girardi was at risk of being ejected when calling for the search Tuesday. This concept was addressed by the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, who said there should be a punishment imposed on any manager who calls for a search that comes up empty.

While the concept of throwing out a manager who makes a “bad faith” request to search a pitcher may sound good on paper, I have little doubt that a manager like Joe Girardi or any other savvy manager wouldn’t mind risk being tossed from a game if he knew he was messing with the mind of a pitcher, even if it was only for one important at-bat. Because it may be that one at-bat that determines who wins or loses the game, even if it occurs in the fourth inning of a game.

I would concede some umpires are likely approaching this crackdown as a license to act like Wyatt Earp on the field, it’s not like no one in the league knew this wasn’t coming for weeks. Therefore, any pitcher who reacted adversely to the search has now opened themselves up for more searches, not less, since opposing teams now know they are at least mentally rattled by the search, which could over time lead to a mental lapse in a crucial spot. 

So, I say to anyone who wants a “Gamesmanship Clause” over the searching a pitchers: Go ahead, write up all the rules you want, because I promise you there will be a manager in a late season or even a postseason game who will look at that rule and laugh … they will laugh because he will know it is worth the risk of being tossed from game if it could help his team win. You can turn your nose up to the “bad faith” search all you want, but if a manager knows he can get into the mind of an opponent for a few seconds and doesn’t do it, then he is not doing his job, which means he doesn’t need to be ejected, but fired. 

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Should MLB Limit Pitchers Being Searched For Foreign Substances? | TooAthletic.com

The post Should MLB Limit Pitchers Being Searched For Foreign Substances? appeared first on TOOATHLETIC TAKES.

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By: Rafael Thomas
Title: Should MLB Limit Pitchers Being Searched For Foreign Substances?
Sourced From: tooathletic.com/should-mlb-limit-pitchers-being-searched-for-foreign-substances/
Published Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2021 17:43:55 +0000

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