During Record HR Year: Is The Baseball Juiced?

[Yah Mule]

Where they only letting Washington hit the juiced balls?

The Brewers hit a pair. Now on pace for 241. One more than the '61 Yankees who were known to lose a few.

[Yah Mule]

1. Could it be the 'rally pigeon' in back of home plate while the homers were flying?

2. Could it be that the two pitchers giving up the homers have an ERA of just over 8.00 and just under 8.00 and have pitched in Major League Baseball while mostly having that status questioned?

3. Could it be that the Commisioner of baseball, without agreement of the owners or players, took it upon himself to change the way baseballs were made in past years and conspired with the makers of baseballs in a factory in a foreign country to juice the baseball without one person 'spilling the beans'?

I'll take what is behind door two.

I'll just choose empirical evidence and the word of several pitchers who have used the MLB ball and the minor league ball.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/four-per ... ls-differ/

The graph in this article shows that the power surge happening in MLB is only happening in MLB with baseball manufactured in Costa Rica. The minor league ball is made in China.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ar ... -steroids/

[whale4evr]

The seems are ridiculously tight in the majors now. I've got official MLB and NCAA balls -- both Rawlings. The seems on the NCAA ball are noticeably larger than the MLB ball. That may or may not matter, but there is definitely a difference in how these balls were stitched/manufactured.

[DOUGHBOYS]

1. Could it be the 'rally pigeon' in back of home plate while the homers were flying?

2. Could it be that the two pitchers giving up the homers have an ERA of just over 8.00 and just under 8.00 and have pitched in Major League Baseball while mostly having that status questioned?

3. Could it be that the Commisioner of baseball, without agreement of the owners or players, took it upon himself to change the way baseballs were made in past years and conspired with the makers of baseballs in a factory in a foreign country to juice the baseball without one person 'spilling the beans'?

I'll take what is behind door two.

I'll just choose empirical evidence and the word of several pitchers who have used the MLB ball and the minor league ball.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/four-per ... ls-differ/

The graph in this article shows that the power surge happening in MLB is only happening in MLB with baseball manufactured in Costa Rica. The minor league ball is made in China.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ar ... -steroids/

Baseballs in both leagues have differed for many, many years.
Same for Korea. Same for Japan.
Not a big deal.
All slightly different.
The differences are noted.

Batter's complaints have resulted in the fences being moved in in several Major League parks.
No parks have moved the fences AWAY from the plate. Is that next?

Edit-
Jim ,it may seem like I'm poo-pooing your stories and I guess I am now that I think about it

Some fans want a 'one reason' answer into why there are more homers this year.
The last thing a pitcher is going to say is because of THEM.
But they are a part of this gangbang.
Pitchers are all throwing at the same speeds. Hitters have caught up to that speed.
ALL fastballs are hittable.

Fences have moved in.
The strike zone is a hitters strike zone (just a year ago, it was being blamed for too many strike outs)
Humidity has dropped in the west. Dodger Stadium, a homer haven.
The Angels park has a lot of homers and it's hard to even consider the Padres Park as THE pitching mecca any longer.

The hitters, themselves, are swinging for the fences a lot more.
And they've had big mph swings since they were teens.

Managers are feeding the frenzy by eliminating small ball.
Big men at the top of lineups so they get more chances to score is the precedent now.

A juiced ball is a 'one size fits all' argument.
There are many things that have contributed to the many home runs this year.

And not once have I heard a pitcher blame today's baseball for more strike outs than ever before.
That is all them!