In recent years, Major League Baseball and its umpires have begun to crack down on foreign substances that pitchers may use to get a better grip on the ball or even gain a tactical advantage.
Often times, if pitchers have foreign substances on their hands, they will be asked to wash their hands, and in some extreme cases, they may be ejected from the game.
On Wednesday, Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt joined sports insider Chris Rose and talked about foreign substance checks that are done by umpires at the end of each inning, sharing his opinion on the matter.
Chris Bassitt on the current state of foreign substance rules in MLB:
"There's no clarity at all." pic.twitter.com/JMVoiFJy2u
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) May 31, 2023
Rose asked Bassitt what umpires typically tell him during his starts when he is checked in between innings.
Bassitt was asked if he had ever been told to wash his hands.
The veteran right-hander said that he has never been asked to do such a thing and doubts that it will ever happen because he typically does not use anything to enhance his grip.
Rose then talked about how three of the recent incidents have involved pitchers on the New York Yankees staff, and asked Bassitt if he thought people might be suspicious of the Yankees as a result.
Bassitt said that he does believe people are suspicious of the Yankees, citing them as one of the organizations that pushes the limits on things such as foreign substances.
The right-hander believes that if an illegal substance is on a pitcher’s hands, that pitcher should be ejected, but he also believes that there isn’t a whole lot of clarity on foreign substance checks.
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