MLB Pitching Grip
Should foreign substances be allowed to help pitchers grip?
MLB Foreign Substance Rule-Pitching
Hi my name is Trevor Van Straten, and today I'm going to tell you about baseball. Specifically the rule which states that MLB pitchers can't use any substance to enhance their grip on the ball. Many pitchers will say the only reason they use a foreign substance is just to grip the ball better.
Pine Tar
One common form of this illegal actions is using pine tar to boost their grip on the ball. Many pitchers have been caught using pine tar to help their grip such as Michael Pineda from the New York Yankees. Pitchers usually but the substance on the bill of their hats, or necks. These pitchers are throwing fastballs usually between 90-100 miles an hour. They claim that using pine tar is just to help there grip, not to throw faster or add curve to the ball.
Bull Pen
The bull pen in MLB is a station on the field where pitchers can warm up their arms before going straight into the game. Many pitchers during this use the foreign substances to help them warm up with better grip to make them warm up faster so it isn't as hard gripping the ball while having a cold arm. If pitchers are allowed to warm up with foreign substances why not just make them legal to use? If they don't want to make them legal then they should ban them from the bull pen as well.
My Opionion
I believe that pitchers should be allowed to use grip enhancers such as pine tar. I believe this because pitchers are throwing so fast that they actually killed a man in 1920. They didn't wear helmets while batting back then but it proves the point that these fast pitches can cause major damage. With using foreign substances in the MLB they must be approved by MLB before the pitchers use them. This way the could insure that the grip enhancers only help with grip and not speed or making it curve. This would reduce the chances of players taking brutal injuries. This is all why I believe grip enhancers should be allowed if they don't give any other benefits to the pitchers speed or anything like that.