Spitball

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Spitball , Spitter and Mud ball , derived from the English words to spit for "spit" and mud for "dirt" in is baseball -Sports a union called, in which the cue ball from the pitcher (bowler), moisten with saliva or water or the application of vaseline , chewing tobaccoor similar substances have been manipulated. Measures such as roughening the surface of the ball and making cuts and scratches are also partly summarized under this term, even if terms such as emery ball or cut ball are common.

The main aim of these changes is to influence the balance of the ball by making it lighter or heavier at the manipulated point, or by changing the air resistance . Together with an appropriate throwing technique, this leads to an irregular flight behavior of the ball, which is difficult for the batter (batsman) to assess. A spitball gives the pitcher an illegal advantage over the batter. In contrast, a throw known as a dry spitter has an irregular trajectory comparable to a spitball, which, however, as with the knuckleball, comes about exclusively through the throwing technique and is therefore not illegal.

history

In the early days of baseball and as it grew in popularity in the United States in the second half of the 19th century, spitballs were not initially banned. During this time, common methods were not only spitting on the ball, but also adding dirt and chewing tobacco , in order to affect the trajectory as well as affecting the visibility of the ball for the batter. In the so-called deadball era in the early 20th century, the admissibility of Spitballs was one of several reasons for the very low number of home runs and the correspondingly low game results.

In the 1920 season, the right to manipulate balls accordingly was limited to a maximum of two pitchers per team; in the following season, Spitballs were generally prohibited. Exceptions were only made for a total of 17 active players who were allowed to continue throwing Spitballs until the end of their career. Despite the prohibition that has existed since then on all amateur and professional levels, there were repeated pitchers in later years who continued to try to manipulate the match ball using various tricks. The 1974 published autobiography of the pitcher Gaylord Perry was wearing, for example, significantly entitled "Me & The Spitter" ( I and Spitball ).

The death of Ray Chapman on August 16, 1920, who was hit by a ball in the head during a game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees , may have been the result of an intentionally soiled Spitball. According to eyewitness reports, Chapman did not evade the incoming ball and therefore probably did not see it. To date , he and Michael Riley "Doc" Powers are the only professional baseball players to have died of complications from a game injury.

literature

  • Charles F. Faber, Richard B. Faber: Spitballers: The Last Legal Hurlers of the Wet One. McFarland, Jefferson 2006, ISBN 0-78-642347-1 .
  • Doctoring the Ball. In: Derek Zumsteg: The Cheater's Guide to Baseball. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007, ISBN 0-61-855113-1 , pp. 134-163.
  • How to Throw a Spitball. In: Scott Ostler: How to Cheat in Sports: Professional Tricks Exposed. Chronicle Books, San Francisco 2008, ISBN 0-81-185853-7 , pp. 96/97.