Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves hits a home game against the Houston Astros in game six of the 2021 World Series. A Business Insider report shows the league uses two different types of baseball during the 2021 season, one of that number flies further.
Photo Carmen Mandato / Getty
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Photo Carmen Mandato / Getty
Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves hits a home game against the Houston Astros in game six of the 2021 World Series. A Business Insider report shows the league uses two different types of baseball during the 2021 season, one of that number flies further.
Photo Carmen Mandato / Getty
As Major League Baseball players and owners teeter on the brink of the league’s first shutdown since the mid-1990s, a newly released report accuses the league of secretly using two different baseballs in the 2021 season, potentially affecting player performance and game results.
Current collective bargaining agreement between players and owners Expires on Wednesday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. According to reports, the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
If there is no last minute renewal of the current contract, the team owner will be allowed to activate the lock, the owner’s version of a strike.
If enacted, it would be the league’s first shutdown since the dramatic strike in the mid-1990s that led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.
Because baseball is in the offseason, the effect of the lockout will be limited to offseason roster transactions, like free agent signings and minor player actions like physicals. The two sides have more than two months to reach an agreement before a strike will affect spring training, which is expected to begin in February.
Among the hot-button issues are player salaries and competitive balance. Average wages have fallen in recent years as teams lean towards younger, cheaper players whose salaries are more controlled by the team. Average wages have fallen by about 30% since 2015, according to the Associated Press.
A new report says the league used 2 different balls last season
Now, a wrench has been added to the conversation: A Business Insider’s new report alleges the league used two different baseballs during the 2021 season – without the knowledge of the player or team.
The report is based on research by Meredith Wills, an astrophysicist and data scientist who in recent years has conducted his own independent studies of baseballs used in games. major of the tournament.
In a statement, the federation acknowledged that it used two different balls and blamed the difference on production difficulties due to epidemic.
“In general, balls are manufactured 6-12 months before being used in a game. As Rawlings was forced to reduce capacity at its manufacturing facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, baseball supplies re-centering was not enough to cover the entire 2021 season. To address this, the Rawlings incorporated excess inventory into shipments to Clubs to provide a full supply of baseballs for the season. tournament 2021”, the statement added that the players’ union had been informed of the decision.
The MLB Players Association declined to comment.
MLB has co-owned Rawlings, its baseball manufacturing company, since 2018.
A change in baseball could weaken stats
Ahead of the 2021 season, the league announced it would introduce a new type of baseball: a lighter, less bouncy textured baseball designed to cut down on home runs.
But when sampling hundreds of baseballs collected from 15 stadiums, Wills found that about half of the balls used this season fit the old standards, meaning they were heavier and more likely to be used. can be hit further.
And the batch numbers of the balls indicate that several older, heavier models were produced after the federation announced that it would switch to a lighter ball – including any balls manufactured after January. 2021. That finding appears to contradict the federation’s suggestion that any discrepancy be due to excess supply from 2020. An MLB spokesperson declined to comment further.
In a tournament where actual stats inform every team decision – who plays, who signs, how much players can earn – the tournament used two balls different, one of which flew further, disappointing the players. Contacted by Business Insider.
“Everything in this game is based on your stats,” said Adam Ottavino, a free agent who last played with the Boston Red Sox. “There’s a million of them. If the variables are being changed from below you and in an unfair way, that raises doubts about every statistic you have.”
Allegations that the league “squeezed” baseball persisted for years
Baseball structure has been hotly debated in the sport in recent years, as the total number of home runs began to spike. After the players hit a record 6105 home runs in 2017, MLB commissioned a team of scholars to help investigate why.
Allegations that the league has “forced” baseball increased in 2019, when players hit 6,776 home runs – an 11% increase from the record set just two years earlier.
Practically every star pitcher, including Justin Verlander, who later played for the Houston Astros, and Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, voiced doubts or questions that season.
“With changing the ball as much as it has happened in the last few years, the players have no idea about it,” Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer told the Washington Post. New York Times in 2019. “We are left, as players, wondering how the ball can change so much, so quickly, and have such big results.”
Since then, home games have dropped, but only a little. In 2021, players hit 5,944 home runs – fewer than in 2019 and 2017, but still the third-highest total of all time. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, players hit just 2,304 home runs but hit a pace of 1.28 per game, lower than 2019 but comparable to 2017.
