Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak holds the ball between pitches during the eighth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 15, 2021 (June 16 in Manila) in Cleveland. AP PHOTO
NEW YORK: Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
The commissioner's office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low, said Tuesday major and minor league umpires will start regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don't request inspections.