Sneaky Art of the Spitball

On this day in 1982 Gaylord Perry of the Seattle Mariners was ejected from a game for throwing an illegal spitball. A spitball is an illegal pitch in baseball. The idea is to coat the ball with some kind of substance that will then alter the aerodynamics of the ball and thus alter it's path and make it more difficult to hit. The invention of the spitball has been credited to a number of individuals, however it was Elmer Stricklett who introduced it to the majors. The pitch was widely popular in the 1900's but was banned from use by the 1920's. The league however allowed an exception for up to two pitchers on each team, who would be allowed to throw spitballs but no other kind of defaced ball pitch. While the exemption was originally intended to last for just one season, the leagues backed off slightly after the season. They identified 17 "bona fide" spitball pitchers who were allowed to continue throwing the spitball for the remainder of their careers. The art of the spitball lied greatly in it's decption. The pitcher had to be sneaky in his actions so that the batter would never know it was coming. The most popular methods were to hide petrolleum jelly behind the knee or under the brim of the hat. Once the pitch was banned the players had to be even more creative in there methods of secrecy because if caought they would be ejected from the game. Gaylord Perry, who went so far as to title his autobiography Me and the Spitter, would put vaseline on his zipper because umpires would never check there.

If you have a baseball fan in your life impress them with your knowledge of the spitball and it's sorted history. If you are looking for a baseball themed card check out my etsy shop for one like this.

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