In recent years, Major League Baseball and its umpires have begun cracking down on foreign substances that pitchers may use to better grip the ball or gain a tactical advantage.
At times, if the pitcher has foreign substances on his hands, he will be asked to wash his hands, and in some extreme cases, he may be ejected from the game.
On Wednesday, Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt joined Sports Insider Chris Rose to talk about the foreign substance checks that are conducted by umpires at the end of each inning, sharing his thoughts on the matter.
Chris Bassitt on the current state of foreign substances rules in MLB:
“There is no clarity.” pic.twitter.com/JMVoiFJy2u
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) May 31, 2023
Rose asked Bassitt what the umpires usually tell him when he is checked mid-innings at the start of the innings.
Bassitt was asked if he was ever told to wash his hands.
The veteran right-handed batsman said he has never been asked to do so and doubted it would ever happen as he doesn’t usually use anything to enhance his grip.
Rose then talked about how there had been three recent incidents involving pitchers on the New York Yankees’ staff, and asked Bassitt if he thought this might result in people being suspicious of the Yankees.
Bassitt said he believes people are suspicious of the Yankees, citing them as one of those organizations that push the limits of things like foreign substances.
The right-handed batter believes that if there is an illegal substance on a pitcher’s hands, that pitcher should be thrown out, but he also believes that there is not complete clarity on foreign substance testing.
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