Baseball Rules On Scuffing

Any tampering with a baseball violates the rules. To scuff a ball, the player marks one side with an abrasive material, creating an unusual turbulence that will force the ball to dramatically swerve, or drop, in one direction. Throughout the history of the game, pitchers have doctored the ball to get an advantage over the hitter.

History

In effect since 1908, the Official Baseball Rules outlaw ball tampering with the pitcher in mind. In 2007, a change was made to include any position player on the field found to scuff or deface a baseball would be ejected and receive an automatic 10-game suspension. Previously, the penalty was to call the pitch a ball and warn the player. For pitchers, umpires have the discretion to issue only a warning if they determine the pitcher's actions weren't intended to alter the characteristics of a pitch.

Parameters

Rule 8.02 of the Official Rule Book specifically prohibits a player from "defacing the ball in any manner," or delivering a ball altered in a manner to be a"shine" ball, "spit" ball, "mud" ball or "emery" ball. The pitcher is allowed to rub the ball between his bare hands.

Rule Breakers

Pitchers caught defacing the ball during a game and suffering the 10-game suspensions include Anaheim's Brendan Donnelly, Detroit's Brian Moehler, Philadelphia's Kevin Gross, Seattle's Rick Honeycutt, Minnesota's Joe Niekro and New York Yankee legend Whitey Ford. Ford used his wedding ring to cut the ball. Niekro, who was a knuckleballer, was ejected when an umpire caught him with an emery board and sandpaper in his pocket. Moehler, pitching against Tampa Bay in 1999, was shelled for three runs in the first two innings. But then he allowed just one hit over the next four innings before the opposing manager complained to the home plate umpire that Moehler was scuffing. Sandpaper was found taped to the thumb on his pitching hand and he was ejected. Such notable pitchers as Rick Rhoden, Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Scott and Kenny Rogers were often accused of doctoring the ball, but were never caught.

"Grease-Lord" Perry

"He should be in the Hall of Fame with a tube of K-Y Jelly attached to his plaque," Angels manager Gene Mauch said of Gaylord Perry. Notorious for doctoring the ball, Hall-of-Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry won 314 games, had 3,434 strikeouts and a 3.11 earned-run average. But despite the rule being in place and his famous reputation for putting everything from tobacco juice to Vaseline on the ball, Perry was not ejected until 1982, a year before he ended his 22-year career.