PEORIA, Ariz. —
Matt Strahm collects baseball cards, loves to talk strategy and generally appreciates the game he has played his entire life.
The beauty and purity of baseball is so important to him that he is not above going around and letting teammates know they are “cheaters.” He and others say he has done so multiple times.
Strahm, a left-hander in the Padres bullpen, said he is one of what he estimates is no more than a quarter of pitchers in the major leagues who do not alter baseballs using a substance such as pine tar in order to improve grip and/or increase spin.