Cheating in baseball
[2] At the time the spitball was banned, 17 active pitchers were allowed to continue to throw the pitch through a grandfather clause; the last of these was Burleigh Grimes, who played until 1934.
[3] Examples of illegal doctoring include Joe Niekro, who was caught with an emery board and a small piece of sandpaper during a game on August 3, 1987—he was ejected and suspended for 10 days.
[5] Gaylord Perry, a hall of famer and major league pitcher from 1962 to 1983, entitled his 1974 autobiography Me and the Spitter,[6] although he was only ejected once for doctoring the baseball.
Michael Pineda of the New York Yankees was ejected from a game on April 23, 2014, after being caught with a smear of pine tar on the right side of his neck.
[16] On June 15, 2021, MLB announced new guidance regarding "a uniform standard for the consistent application of the rules, including regular checks of all pitchers regardless of whether an opposing club's manager makes a request.
"[11] Included in MLB's announcement were mandatory checks of all pitchers by umpires, with any player found to have a foreign substance immediately ejected and suspended for 10 games.
Players who have been suspended for using a corked bat include Sammy Sosa, Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher, José Guillén, and Miguel Olivo.
[26] In 2002, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that included mandatory testing for performance-enhancing substances.
[39][41] The term "pitch" in the rule referred to throwing with a straight, stiff arm and wrist, in an underhanded style influenced by cricket bowlers.
[39] Although pitchers were still required to throw underhanded, their motion crept up over time to a three-quarter style, which led to the rules being altered in 1883 to allow it.
Players who claimed to be younger than they were include Rube Marquard, Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese, and Hal McRae.
A prominent example of intentionally trying to lose a game, which can enable gamblers who are involved with such a scheme to win significant amounts of money, is the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 that resulted in eight players being permanently banned from professional baseball.
On August 19, 1951, the St. Louis Browns sent Eddie Gaedel to bat—Gaedel had been signed to a contract by team owner Bill Veeck because of his height of 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m), which made his strike zone exceptionally small.
The above noted incidents of illegal sign stealing during 2017 and 2018 by the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox were discovered after-the-fact, and resulted in punishment meted out by the Commissioner of Baseball.
[60] Steroid use, admitted or suspected, has affected balloting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for multiple players, including: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, and Sammy Sosa.
[61][62][63] Shoeless Joe Jackson is generally considered to have had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, including a .356 batting average in 13 major-league seasons, but is ineligible for election due to his permanent ban resulting from the Black Sox Scandal.
[64] Pete Rose, the all-time MLB leader in several categories including hits, singles, and games played, accepted a permanent ban in 1989 shortly after publication of an investigation into his involvement with betting on baseball.
