Baseball personnel have cheated by deliberately violating or circumventing thegame's rules to gain an unfair advantage against an opponent. Examples of cheating include doctoring theball, doctoringbats, electronicsign stealing, and the use ofperformance-enhancing substances. Other actions, such as fielders attempting to misleadbaserunners about the location of the ball, are consideredgamesmanship and are not in violation of the rules.[1]
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Pitchers have long doctoredbaseballs to gain an unfair advantage. Thespitball is an illegalbaseball pitch where the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance, such as saliva orpetroleum jelly. Theemery ball, also an illegal pitch, consists of throwing a ball that has been scuffed by a rough surface, such as anemery board orsandpaper.Major League Baseball (MLB) banned the emery ball in 1914 and banned the spitball in 1920.[2] At the time the spitball was banned, 17 active pitchers were allowed to continue to throw the pitch through agrandfather clause; the last of these wasBurleigh Grimes, who played until 1934.[3]
Examples of illegal doctoring includeJoe Niekro, who was caught with an emery board and a small piece ofsandpaper during a game on August 3, 1987—he wasejected and suspended for 10 days.[4]Preacher Roe, who pitched in MLB for 12 seasons during 1938–1954, was featured in a 1955Sports Illustrated article entitled "The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch".[5]Gaylord Perry, a hall of famer and major league pitcher from 1962 to 1983, entitled his 1974 autobiographyMe and the Spitter,[6] although he was only ejected once for doctoring the baseball.[7][8]
Pitchers have used sticky substances, such aspine tar, to enhance their grip and greatly improve thespin rate of a thrown baseball, which results in more movement on pitches.[9] While the use of such "foreign substances" is a violation of MLB rules, historically, it was rarely enforced.[10] The only substance that pitchers may legally use to improve their grip isrosin, via a rosin bag kept on the mound.[11]
Grip enhancing substances are usually hidden somewhere, such as inside a pitcher's glove or cap, so it can be accessed while pitching.Michael Pineda of theNew 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.[12] Although Pineda claimed that he had applied it "trying to be careful not to hit somebody on the other team", he was suspended for 10 games.[12]
Large increases in measured spin rates during the 2020 and 2021 MLB seasons led to scrutiny of this area.[9] A highly effective grip enhancer used by pitchers to increase spin rates has been Spider Tack, a product developed forstrongman competitors to have a better grip on 100-to-160-kilogram (220 to 350 lb) concrete Atlas stones.[13][14][15]In May 2021, four pitchers inMinor League Baseball received 10-game suspensions after being caught using grip enhancers.[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.[11] Enforcement across MLB began on June 21,[11][17] withSeattle Mariners pitcherHector Santiago becoming the first player to be ejected under the heightened enforcement, on June 27.[18]
Hitters have doctored theirbaseball bats with lighter materials to allow them to swing the bat faster compared to a solid wood bat of equal size. Acorked bat is one with some of its interior removed and replaced with a lighter material, such ascork orSuper Balls. Players who have been suspended for using a corked bat includeSammy Sosa,Albert Belle,Wilton Guerrero,Chris Sabo,Billy Hatcher,José Guillén, andMiguel Olivo. ThoughGraig Nettles was caught using a bat with Super Balls in 1974, he was not suspended.Amos Otis andNorm Cash admitted to using corked bats duringMajor League Baseball games.[19]
Baseball players can gain an advantage by stealing the signs used by other teams. However, they are prohibited from using technology to aid them in stealing signs and communicating the information to their teammates. Two notable incidents of sign stealing include the1951 New York Giants, who used a telescope and buzzer system,[20] and theHouston Astros sign stealing scandal of 2017–2018.[21] TheBoston Red Sox were fined for having used anApple Watch to relay stolen signs during the 2017 season,[22] and had their video replay operator suspended for the 2020 season after he used video replay to decode sign sequences during some games in 2018.[23]
Baseball players have usedamphetamines andsteroids to enhance their physical performance. TheUnited States Army gave amphetamines, such asDexedrine andBenzedrine, to soldiers duringWorld War II, and baseball players who fought in the war introduced them to baseball clubhouses after they returned. During thePittsburgh drug trials in 1985,Dave Parker andDale Berra testified in court thatWillie Stargell provided them with amphetamines, whileJohn Milner testified aboutWillie Mays' use of amphetamines.[24]Anabolic steroids were banned by baseball in 1991, though no program was established for drug testing.[25]
Following the1998 home run record chase, more attention was paid to steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.[26] In 2002, MLB and theMajor League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) agreed to a newcollective bargaining agreement that included mandatory testing for performance-enhancing substances.[27] The federal government began to investigate theBay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) in 2003; the ensuingBALCO scandal resulted in a federal grand jury investigation that compelled testimony from athletes includingMarion Jones,Jason Giambi, andBarry Bonds, and determined that 27 athletes received steroids from BALCO.[28] A panel of players and executives testified on steroid use in baseball before theHouse Government Reform Committee in 2005.[29] FormerU.S. SenatorGeorge J. Mitchell led a 20-month investigation on steroids in baseball that resulted in the release of theMitchell Report in 2007.[30]
Mandatory testing expanded to include amphetamines and other stimulants in 2005.[31] In 2011, testing was expanded to includehuman growth hormone (HGH).[27] TheBiogenesis scandal broke in 2013, alleging thatAlex Rodriguez andRyan Braun acquired HGH from an anti-aging clinic.[32] A total of 13 players received suspensions.[33]
Groundskeepers have been involved in attempts to cheat.[4] On April 25, 1981,Seattle Mariners managerMaury Wills had the Seattle grounds crew draw thebatter's box 1 foot (0.30 m) longer than allowed by the rule book (towards the pitching mound) as theOakland Athletics had previously complained that Seattle batterTom Paciorek was stepping outside the box while batting.[34] Oakland managerBilly Martin spotted the modified batters box prior to the game;[35] the box was correctly redrawn, and Wills was subsequently suspended for two games.[36] Teams would also often water down basepaths to slow down opposing baserunners, something which was consideredgamesmanship.[37] Opposing teams suspected that airflow in theMetrodome, home of theMinnesota Twins from 1982 to 2009, was manipulated to help the Twins' balls up and out and push the away team's inwards; a former superintendent claimed in 2003 that he had done so, and characterized it as "home-field advantage".[38]
In its early genesis, how baseball was played on the field evolved rapidly. The original role of pitchers was to put the ball into play for batters to hit,[39] rather than try to prevent batters from striking the ball, as described in the inauguralKnickerbocker Base Ball Club rule set from 1845: "The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat."[40]Pitchers began intentionally throwing pitches hard to hit, however, waiting for batters to eventually swing at them, until the introduction in 1863 of "called balls" by the umpire "[s]hould the pitcher repeatedly fail to deliver to the striker fair balls".[39][41]The term "pitch" in the rule referred to throwing with a straight, stiff arm and wrist, in an underhanded style influenced bycricket bowlers.[42][39]It was common though for pitchers to flick their wrists to impart spin, thereby affecting the baseball's trajectory.[39][43]By the late 1860s, the restrictions against bending at the elbow or snapping the wrist were rarely enforced, and thus in 1872 the rules were changed to permit them.[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.[39] A full overhand delivery was only permitted by theNational League in 1884, and by theAmerican Association in 1885.[39]
Players have lied about their own ages to increase the level of interest they receive fromscouts. Players who claimed to be younger than they were includeRube Marquard,Phil Rizzuto,Pee Wee Reese, andHal McRae.[44]
Players from theDominican Republic have engaged in age fabrication to improve their chances of getting a contract offer.[45][46] Some have also changed their names, includingRoberto Hernández andJuan Carlos Oviedo.[47][48]Danny Almonte competed in the2001 Little League World Series, despite being 14 years old and the cutoff age for the tournament being set at 12.[49]
Various other efforts to skirt the rules have been employed. 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 theBlack Sox Scandal of 1919 that resulted in eight players being permanently banned from professional baseball.
On August 19, 1951, theSt. Louis Browns sentEddie Gaedel to bat—Gaedel had been signed to a contract by team ownerBill Veeck because of his height of 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m), which made hisstrike zone exceptionally small.[50] Gaedelwalked (as expected) and was replaced by apinch runner.[51]American League presidentWill Harridge voided Gaedel's contract the following day, and unsuccessfully attempted to strike Gaedel's appearance from the record books.[50][52]
In 1987, a minor-league catcher for theDouble-AWilliamsport Bills hid a potato in his glove, which he threw past a runner at third base so the runner would attempt to score, and then tagged out the runner with the real baseball. The umpires ruled that the run counted. The catcher was removed from the game by his manager and later released by the team.[53]
After being ejected from a game on June 9, 1999,New York Mets managerBobby Valentine changed his appearance by putting on a hat, sunglasses, and a fake mustache, then returned to thedugout—he was spotted, and later suspended for two games.[54]
The2014 Little League World Series saw the disqualification of the second-place team after it was found that many of the players lived outside of the acceptable geographic range.[55]
When detected by an umpire during a game, illegal actions such as doctoring the baseball or using a doctored bat result in an immediateejection. Such ejections are rare in Major League Baseball, with less than 50 instances of "doctored" or "doctoring" appearing in a log of nearly 18,000 ejections since 1889—by comparison, "fighting" appears over 700 times.[56][57] Any professional player who is ejected from a game typically receives a mandatory fine, and additional penalty may also be imposed in follow-up by league officials, such as a suspension for a number of games or calendar days.
Acts of cheating that are not detected during a game may still result in punishment. 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 theCommissioner of Baseball. As punishment for the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal,general managerJeff Luhnow, field managerA. J. Hinch, and bench coachAlex Cora (who had subsequently become manager of the Boston Red Sox) were each suspended for the 2020 MLB season by commissionerRob Manfred, which further resulted in Luhnow and Hinch being fired by the Astros.[58]
Rule 21 ofThe Official Professional Baseball Rules Book enumerates misconduct for which personnel can be declared permanently ineligible: misconduct in playing baseball (throwing games), gifts to umpires, and gambling on a baseball game "in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform".[59] The rule is required to be posted, in both English and Spanish, in all major league clubhouses.[59] For determining penalties for other violations, broad discretion is granted to the commissioner via Rule 50, "Enforcement of Major League Rules", which specifies "action consistent with the commissioner's powers under the Major League Constitution".[60]
Steroid use, admitted or suspected, has affected balloting for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame for multiple players, including:Barry Bonds,Roger Clemens,Mark McGwire,Rafael Palmeiro,Gary Sheffield, andSammy Sosa.[61][62][63]
Shoeless Joe Jackson is generally considered to have had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, including a .356batting average in 13 major-league seasons, but was ineligible for election for many decades due to his permanent ban resulting from the Black Sox Scandal.[64]Pete Rose, the all-time MLB leader in several categories includinghits, singles, andgames played, accepted a permanent ban in 1989 shortly after publication ofan investigation into his involvement with betting on baseball.[65] In 1991, the Hall of Fame declared all permanently banned individuals to be ineligible for induction, even after their death.[66] In May 2025,Rob Manfred ruled that such bans, including those meted out to Jackson and Rose, ended when a player dies, thus creating opportunity for the players to be inducted into the Hall of Fameif they are elected by an applicableVeterans Committee.[67]
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