Emery ball

Russ Ford discovered the emery ball in the minor leagues in 1907 when he saw what a scuff on a baseball did to its movement.

Sweeney taught it to other pitchers, and the pitch was discovered when an umpire found emery paper in Ray Keating's glove in 1914.

In 1907, Russ Ford, a pitcher for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, was warming up under a grandstand with catcher Ed Sweeney when a ball struck a concrete pillar.

[6] Another origin story suggests that George Kahler of the Cleveland Indians discovered the pitch and taught it to Vean Gregg.

After Collins struck out for the second time, he asked the home plate umpire, Tom Connolly, to inspect the ball.

[3][10] Connolly sent two scuffed balls and a piece of emery paper to Ban Johnson, the president of the American League.

[10] Johnson declared that players caught using the emery ball would face a $100 fine ($3,042 today) and a 30-day suspension.

[11] James A. Gilmore barred its use in the Federal League in 1915, also mandating a 30-day suspension, but with a fine of $200 ($6,024 in current dollar terms).

[18] He acknowledged using a custom ring and a rasp to scuff baseballs later in his career,[19] and said that he sometimes used his belt buckle or catcher Elston Howard's shin guards.

[25] In 1985, Jim Frey, the manager of the Chicago Cubs, accused Mike Scott of the Houston Astros of using sandpaper to scuff baseballs.

[29] During a game, umpire Tim Tschida asked him to empty his pockets and a nail file and sandpaper that had been touched up to be flesh-colored came out.