You thought the Casey Mize glove controversy in Kansas City last week was kooky (it was), wait until Monday when major-league umpires start searching pitchers’ hands, forearms, gloves and caps for foreign substances.
“Everyone is on board with wanting an even playing field,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Sunday before the series finale in Anaheim. “But nobody has a clue on how it’s going to go.”
Teams were warned a week ago that the league’s crackdown on sticky substances on the baseball would start in earnest Monday. Umpires will inspect starting pitchers at least twice a game, relievers at the end of their first inning or when they get removed from the game, and closers when they come into the game.