A study commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded the record 6,776 home runs hit during the 2019 season were a result of "inconsistent seam height" on baseballs and "changes in player behavior" related to launch angles, not a concerted effort by MLB or manufacturer Rawlings to "juice" the ball.
ESPN's Jeff Passan provided details from the initial findings of four professors—Drs. Alan Nathan, Jim Albert, Peko Hosoi and Lloyd Smith—who wrote "no evidence was found that changes in baseball performance were due to anything intentional on the part of Rawlings or MLB and were likely due to manufacturing variability.