Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday afternoon that he was interested in seeing how MLB’s planned enforcement on the long-standing rule to ban applying any foreign substances to the baseball — in this case any kind of sticky stuff to help pitchers spin and control the ball — would impact the game.
Starting pitchers Keegan Akin of the Orioles and Jake Odorizzi of the Houston Astros were checked by umpires Angel Hernández and Ted Barrett on their forearms, hats, belt buckles, and gloves for sticky substances after the first inning. Each was cleared to continue.
Astros starting pitcher @JakeOdorizzi checked by the umpires in Baltimore who are going through MLB’s mandatory effort to make sure pitchers aren’t using a foreign substance on the baseball.