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It wouldn't be a MLB offseason without a baseball-related scandal. Despite commissioner Rob Manfred insisting one baseball would be used during the 2022 MLB season, there is evidence three different baseballs were utilized, according to Bradford William Davis of Insider.
That conclusion comes courtesy of Dr. Meredith Wills, an astrophysicist who has conducted various studies on MLB balls the past couple years. Dr. Wills managed to collect a sample of 204 baseballs from the 2022 MLB season, and determined three types of balls were being used in games: The dead ball MLB promised it would use, the "juiced" balls that were used in previous seasons and a third ball that split the difference. Dr. Wills dubbed the third ball the "Goldilocks ball" since its measurements were in between the "juiced" ball and the dead ball.
Every ball obtained by Dr. Wills met MLB's manufacturing specifications. Those specifications have come under scrutiny, however, as some have argued the acceptable range for what constitutes a legal baseball is too large, and can result in "legal" baseballs that vary wildly in performance. MLB purchased Rawlings, the company that makes baseballs for the league, in 2018.
Dr. Wills did find other instances of the Goldilocks ball being used in the regular season and all of them were used during New York Yankees games. These balls reportedly did not contain commemorative stamps, per Davis.
The conclusion comes after slugger Aaron Judge hit an American League record 62 home runs during the 2022 MLB season. The league consistently promoted Judge's chase of the record, cutting into his at-bats to ensure fans could watch him try to make history. Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the Yankees on Wednesday.
MLB initially fought back against research suggesting a different, livelier ball was being used in 2019. Eventually, Manfred acknowledged the balls had less drag due to a manufacturing change. Balls with less drag travel farther, which led to the home run explosion in 2019. A whopping 6,776 home runs were hit that year, shattering the all-time record for most home runs in a season. Manfred said the change was not intentional.
Manfred has attempted to correct the issue since then, though evidence suggests two different types of balls were used in 2021, which MLB confirmed. The league said the balls were used as a result of production delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of players, including Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, spoke to Insider and expressed suspicion about multiple balls being used in 2022. MLB reportedly warned San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater about sending balls for "third-party testing," seemingly discouraging Slater from sending baseballs to Dr. Wills to be analyzed.
Despite that, the league continues to find itself embroiled in a new ball scandal each season, the latest of which casts doubt on one of the biggest stories around the league. It also sheds light on why players are concerned about the presence of multiple balls. If the Goldilocks ball was being used far more often, or exclusively, during Yankees games while Judge was chasing the AL home run record, does that take away from his accomplishment? Does it give the Yankees an unfair advantage if they are seeing more hitter-friendly balls than other teams? Did this advantage contribute to Judge getting an extra $130 million from the Yankees after rejecting a deal in spring training?
If the Goldilocks balls were truly used during Yankees' games at a much higher rate than other teams and MLB had no idea, it speaks to immense incompetence among those in charge of baseball distribution. In a scenario where this was an intentional strategy, it calls into question the integrity of the games. Can fans trust the results of contests if they are being influenced by the types of balls being used? In addition to very real on-the-field concerns, MLB's willingness to embrace sports betting adds yet another unsavory layer to this potential scandal.
Given all those issues, it's more important than ever that MLB understands how many baseballs are being used and where those baseballs are seeing use. In recent seasons, the league has repeatedly failed to prove it can do that responsibly.
MLB reportedly used three baseballs during 2022 season, and Yankees may have benefitted the most
By: Chris Cwik - Yahoo! SportsIt wouldn't be a MLB offseason without a baseball-related scandal. Despite commissioner Rob Manfred insisting one baseball would be used during the 2022 MLB season, there is evidence three different baseballs were utilized, according to Bradford William Davis of Insider.
That conclusion comes courtesy of Dr. Meredith Wills, an astrophysicist who has conducted various studies on MLB balls the past couple years. Dr. Wills managed to collect a sample of 204 baseballs from the 2022 MLB season, and determined three types of balls were being used in games: The dead ball MLB promised it would use, the "juiced" balls that were used in previous seasons and a third ball that split the difference. Dr. Wills dubbed the third ball the "Goldilocks ball" since its measurements were in between the "juiced" ball and the dead ball.
Every ball obtained by Dr. Wills met MLB's manufacturing specifications. Those specifications have come under scrutiny, however, as some have argued the acceptable range for what constitutes a legal baseball is too large, and can result in "legal" baseballs that vary wildly in performance. MLB purchased Rawlings, the company that makes baseballs for the league, in 2018.
Did the Yankees benefit from MLB using multiple balls?
The overwhelming majority of balls tested by Dr. Wills from the 2022 wound up being the dead ball, which Manfred promised would be the sole ball used last season. The Goldilocks balls, which are more lively than the dead balls, were found mostly in special instances. Dr. Wills found these balls were used in the postseason and World Series, during All-Star events and when the league used commemorative stamps on the ball.Dr. Wills did find other instances of the Goldilocks ball being used in the regular season and all of them were used during New York Yankees games. These balls reportedly did not contain commemorative stamps, per Davis.
The conclusion comes after slugger Aaron Judge hit an American League record 62 home runs during the 2022 MLB season. The league consistently promoted Judge's chase of the record, cutting into his at-bats to ensure fans could watch him try to make history. Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the Yankees on Wednesday.
MLB denies using multiple baseballs in 2022
The league denied Dr. Wills' conclusions, calling them, "wholly inaccurate and just plain wrong," per Insider. A league spokesman claimed only one ball was used during the 2022 MLB season. Rawlings said there was no "3rd ball" used in 2022 and that the previously used "juiced" ball was taken out of circulation before the 2022 season.MLB initially fought back against research suggesting a different, livelier ball was being used in 2019. Eventually, Manfred acknowledged the balls had less drag due to a manufacturing change. Balls with less drag travel farther, which led to the home run explosion in 2019. A whopping 6,776 home runs were hit that year, shattering the all-time record for most home runs in a season. Manfred said the change was not intentional.
Manfred has attempted to correct the issue since then, though evidence suggests two different types of balls were used in 2021, which MLB confirmed. The league said the balls were used as a result of production delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
MLB players have expressed frustration with the baseballs
New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander is among the biggest, and most vocal, critics of the baseball. Verlander publicly questioned Manfred in 2019, leading to Manfred's response about the "juiced" ball. Verlander also reportedly approached an MLB official in 2022 and asked when the league would fix the baseballs, per Insider. Verlander reportedly used more colorful language.A number of players, including Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, spoke to Insider and expressed suspicion about multiple balls being used in 2022. MLB reportedly warned San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater about sending balls for "third-party testing," seemingly discouraging Slater from sending baseballs to Dr. Wills to be analyzed.
Why using different baseballs matters
Since purchasing Rawlings in 2018, MLB has been, at best, inconsistent when addressing possible changes to the ball. The league often eventually admits faults months after the issue is discovered and claims the changes were not intentional, or are in the process of being fixed.Despite that, the league continues to find itself embroiled in a new ball scandal each season, the latest of which casts doubt on one of the biggest stories around the league. It also sheds light on why players are concerned about the presence of multiple balls. If the Goldilocks ball was being used far more often, or exclusively, during Yankees games while Judge was chasing the AL home run record, does that take away from his accomplishment? Does it give the Yankees an unfair advantage if they are seeing more hitter-friendly balls than other teams? Did this advantage contribute to Judge getting an extra $130 million from the Yankees after rejecting a deal in spring training?
If the Goldilocks balls were truly used during Yankees' games at a much higher rate than other teams and MLB had no idea, it speaks to immense incompetence among those in charge of baseball distribution. In a scenario where this was an intentional strategy, it calls into question the integrity of the games. Can fans trust the results of contests if they are being influenced by the types of balls being used? In addition to very real on-the-field concerns, MLB's willingness to embrace sports betting adds yet another unsavory layer to this potential scandal.
Given all those issues, it's more important than ever that MLB understands how many baseballs are being used and where those baseballs are seeing use. In recent seasons, the league has repeatedly failed to prove it can do that responsibly.
