Spitball

For the magazine, seeSpitball (magazine).

Gaylord Perrythrew the spitball during his career.

Aspitballis an illegalbaseball pitchin which theballhas been altered by the application of a foreign substance such assalivaorpetroleum jelly.This technique alters thewind resistanceand weight on one side of the ball, causing it to move in an atypical manner. It may also cause the ball to "slip" out of the pitcher's fingers without the usual spin that accompanies a pitch. In this sense, a spitball can be thought of as afastballwithknuckleballaction. Alternative names for the spitball arespitter,mud ball,shine ball,supersinker,orvaseline ball(because originally,Vaselinewas used to give the ball a little morebreak). A spitball technically differs from anemery ball,in which the surface of the ball is cut or abraded. Saliva or Vaseline smooths the baseball, while the emery paper roughens it. The general term for altering the ball in any way isdoctoring.

History

Slippery elmbark, chewed to produce the extra saliva needed to throw a spitball

The invention of the spitball has been popularly credited to a number of individuals, among themElmer StricklettandFrank Corridon.Numerous accounts, however, refer to different players experimenting with versions of the spitball throughout the latter half of the 19th century, and it remains unlikely that any one individual "invented" the spitball.

Ed Walsh,however, is certainly responsible for popularizing it. Walsh dominated theAmerican Leaguefrom 1906 to 1912, primarily on the strength of his spitball, and pitchers around the league soon copied his spitball or invented their own trick pitch.

The dramatic increase in the popularity of "freak deliveries" led to a great deal of controversy throughout the 1910s regarding the abolition of the spitball and related pitches. In hisautobiography,Ty Cobbwrote that such "freak pitches [...] were outlawed when the owners greedily sold out tohome runs."

In addition, there were serious issues with the spitball, including some that affected safety. A variation on the standard spitball called for the pitcher to smear the entire surface of the normally white ball with a mixture oftobacco spittleand dirt or mud in order to stain it the same deep brown color as the infield which made it nearly impossible for batters to see (and sometimes avoid) in low-light conditions. In August 1920,Ray Chapmanwas killed when he was struck in the temple by a pitch thrown by known spitball pitcherCarl Maysduring a poorly lit game.

Ban

InMajor League Baseball(MLB), the spitball was banned in two stages. In the winter of 1919–1920, managers voted to partially ban the spitball. Each team was allowed to designate up to two pitchers who would be permitted to throw spitballs. After the 1920 season, the use of the spitball was banned with the exception of a group of 17 existing spitballers, who became legacy spitballers who were allowed to throw the pitch legally until they retired.

Of the exempted group,Burleigh Grimeslasted the longest, retiring in 1934. The complete list of exempted spitballers is:Ray Fisher(played through 1920);Doc Ayers(1921);Ray Caldwell(1921);Phil Douglas(1922);Dana Fillingim(1925);Marv Goodwin(1925);Dutch Leonard(1925);Allen Russell(1925);Allen Sothoron(1926);Dick Rudolph(1927);Stan Coveleski(1928);Urban Shocker(1928);Bill Doak(1929);Clarence Mitchell(1932);Red Faber(1933);Jack Quinn(1933); and Grimes.

In March 1955, MLB CommissionerFord Frickadvocated for the return of the spitball, telling a sportswriter, "If I had my way, I'd legalize the old spitter. It was a great pitch and one of the easiest to throw. There was nothing dangerous about it."Despite the Commissioner's enthusiasm, the pitch remained illegal.

Methodology

The spitball is now banned in Major League baseball.It is a pitching violation in NCAA Baseball.However, it is still sometimes thrown in violation of the rules. In1942,Leo Durocher,then-manager of theBrooklyn Dodgers,finedBobo Newsomfor throwing a spitball and "lying to me about it." Typically, a lubricant is hidden behind the pitcher's knee or under the peak of his cap. Others will place the ball in their mitt and then cough on or lick it. Another tactic pitchers use is to soak their hair in water before going out to the mound, and then rub their hair before a pitch.

Preacher Roe,who played for theBrooklyn Dodgersin the 1950s, was renowned both for his ability to control the spitball and to throw it without getting caught and described his methodology in a 1955 article inSports Illustrated."The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch" was published a year after he retired.Another famous user of the pitch wasGaylord Perry,who went so far as to title his autobiographyMe and the Spitterand chronicled the clever ways in which he avoided detection. For example, Perry would putVaselineon his zipper because umpires would never check a player's groin.Don Drysdalealso used the pitch regularly,as didLew Burdette.Drysdale would apply oil to the back of his hair to put on the ball to make it sink.Mike Fiershas been accused of doctoring the baseball during both his no-hitters.

Legal spits

The namedry spitteris sometimes used to describe a pitch that moves like a spitball without saliva, such as theforkballorsplit-finger fastball.It is sometimes used simply as slang for theknuckleball.

There is also the remote term ofGod-given spitter,which is when the ball is naturally dampened by moist air or light rainfall, which allows pitchers to be able to throw pitches with sharper breaks, much like a spitball.

See also

• 2021 pitch doctoring controversy
• Ball tamperingin cricket
• Cheating in baseball
• Live-ball eraandDead-ball era