From time immemorial in baseball, at times pitchers have always tried to get an advantage by putting some sort of “foreign substance” on baseball. “Spitballs” were the rule in the early 20th Century, until they were banned. Then it was done surreptitiously, notably by Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, who never denied doing it — he even called his autobiography “Me and the Spitter.”
In recent times, various sticky substances have been developed both inside and outside baseball and have recently been perceived to give pitchers an advantage. Last week, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic did this long exposé on “Spider Tack,” a substance originally created for pro wrestlers, that was allegedly increasing spin rates for pitchers and thus decreasing offense.