Major League Baseball, and its commissioner, Rob Manfred, has assured athletes and the public that its baseball has not changed. Well, let’s find out!
When I started eyeblack, the world’s first sports newsletter, I wanted to pursue the kinds of sports stories that simply don’t exist anywhere else. That instinct often leads me down some paths, deep (and ongoing) examinations of heartwrenching subjects: violence against women, racism, and even more racism.
I feel a great sense of purpose holding institutions that perpetuate those harms accountable, and that will always be a core part of eyeblack’s mission (and one reason I hope you’ll consider supporting with a paid membership.)
But sometimes, I’m grateful that eyeblack can also explore the sillier side of scandal. That’s right: I just want to understand wassup with these balls.
My quixotic journey tracking MLB’s constantly changing baseball—and sometimes, baseballs, plural—has been maybe the most prominent story I’ve been following during my young, beautiful career. Back when I was an investigative reporter for Business Insider, I published two investigations, one that proved MLB used two different baseballs, and another that showed evidence of a third baseball that just so happened to, within our data set, only show up during marquee events and Yankees games (while Aaron Judge successfully chased #62).
And most recently, you may have read my efforts to find how MLB leadership discussed its intended changes to the ball behind closed doors.
I’m certain that Manfred, and the rest of MLB’s executive leadership, is thrilled with my work and wants me to keep going, anything to help them figure out why their equipment has been soaring into the cheap seats since June at rates not seen since, well, we proved MLB was still using a juiced ball!
As a humble servant to the shield, I will stop at nothing to quench their thirst for truth and transparency. But in order to do this, I’ll need your help.
I need your baseballs.
Preferably game used or ready baseballs from MLB parks (Triple-A parks are also fine). This could include a foul ball, or maybe a ball tossed into the stand. A home run ball you’re not attached to. Batting practice works, too!
Anything you give to science and journalism will go straight to Dr. Meredith Wills, a renowned astrophysicist and data scientist who has been fascinated with this subject way longer than me! She’ll dissect the baseball, weigh their materials, and track their production cycle to understand what changed, and when it changed.
Again, this is silly. But it’s not that silly. I’ve spoken to dozens of players furious with the inconsistency of their core equipment, some of whom told me they wanted to make it a real issue during the 2021-22 collective bargaining negotiations. It’s not silly to MLB, who, according to one player, said he was threatened by a high ranking executive for trying to understand why the baseball was acting up.
And in a league that is increasingly dependent on gambling, its worth knowing whether, intentionally or otherwise, secretly or otherwise, if the league is altering the expected performance of the baseball, and thus, the betting market the league wants you, the fan, to wager on with whatever’s left of your disposable income.
If you’re interested in helping and have firsthand info about the baseball or access to them, please reach me using the Signal Messenger app, where you can call or text this number 646-481-0859. (Be sure to use a non-work device and a personal internet connection.) You can also email me at [email protected]. If you’re less concerned about confidentiality, just reply to this email.
Either way, I wanna hear what you know, or give you instructions for where to send the baseball.
Thanks for helping me keep your eye on the ball(s),
BWD