Major League Baseball really opened up a can of worms with its foreign substance checks, which were hastily instituted mid-season.
Starting and relief pitchers are aren’t used to being treated as though their packing something illegal, and according to San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operatios Farhan Zaidi, the checks have created a “combustible” situation thus far.
He said as much on KNBR radio in San Francisco. Here’s an audio clip of Zaidi, and video of Athletics relief pitcher Sergio Romo as he lost his cool during a foreign substance check on Tuesday and footage of Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer.
Yeah … I think Zaidi may have a point. Here’s Scherzer, in case you missed it, nearly pulling the same act as Romo, with the umpires instructed to check players’ belts, as Zaidi pointed out.
I think MLB commishioner Rob Manfred would have been better off waiting until the offseason to address any issue with potential cheating, and rules to combat that cheating. Better yet, the league could have handled the situation last offseason.
But it didn’t, and baseball seems so desperate to please the greater sports world that it made a knee-jerk reaction in instituting these checks. Hopefully, players have enough time to get used to the process by the time the playoffs arrive. If not, we could see some real fireworks in October.
(Photo courtesy Coasttocoast)
Bay Area Sports Hub 
