Major League Baseball distributed a memo to clubs Friday informing them that rules regarding the use of foreign substances by pitchers will continue to be strictly monitored and enforced during the 2022 season.
In addition to checks of their glove, hat and belt by umpires, pitchers will now be subject to having their fingers and hands inspected at random points throughout the game.
“We want to thank the players for their cooperation last season and the umpires for doing an outstanding job of carrying out enforcement of the rule with great professionalism,” said Michael Hill, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations. “We saw a clear positive impact on the field with more balls in play, more action in the game, more runs scored and a return to the art of pitching with fewer strikeouts. We are encouraged the game moved in the right direction towards the version of baseball that our fans have told us they want to see. Moving forward, umpires have been given additional…