FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Sunscreen And Rosin
Good cleaning technique is especially useful if you're going to use the industry standard ball-doctoring combination of sunscreen and rosin, which tends to layer and congeal with each wipe of the brow, neck, and rosin. This flaw aside, the rosin-and-sunscreen combo is by far the most versatile, non-cheaterish cheat a pitcher can use. The beauty of it is that these are two things that, when used separately, aren't cheating.
A major league trainer will have lots of sunscreen, some of which is kept around just because it's the best to mix with rosin. However, if you're going to do it, I suggest a cream-based screen over a spray. The spray has a lot of alcohol in it and will dry faster; the cream will sit on top of the skin for longer, making it easer to mix over a longer period. Put the screen on your arms and neck, and don't rub it in until you feel dry. (A slightly greasy feeling is good.) Dust your arms with rosin, then go to those locations as needed throughout the game.
If you already have a body-touching routing in place, as advised above, you can easily throw a pitch, wipe your neck and arms, smack the rosin bag—and repeat. This combination works just as well as pine tar.
If you feel you've overloaded, or if your fingers are getting gunked up, take your hat off, run your fingers through your hair, then wipe your sweat-soaked hand harshly against your pant leg until you've cleaned some off. This will tide you over until you make it back into the dugout. (It's also why you see otherwise clean pitchers in their home whites with brown streaks on the side of their throwing-hand leg.)
A Major League Pitcher's Guide To Doctoring A Baseball
Good cleaning technique is especially useful if you're going to use the industry standard ball-doctoring combination of sunscreen and rosin, which tends to layer and congeal with each wipe of the brow, neck, and rosin. This flaw aside, the rosin-and-sunscreen combo is by far the most versatile, non-cheaterish cheat a pitcher can use. The beauty of it is that these are two things that, when used separately, aren't cheating.
A major league trainer will have lots of sunscreen, some of which is kept around just because it's the best to mix with rosin. However, if you're going to do it, I suggest a cream-based screen over a spray. The spray has a lot of alcohol in it and will dry faster; the cream will sit on top of the skin for longer, making it easer to mix over a longer period. Put the screen on your arms and neck, and don't rub it in until you feel dry. (A slightly greasy feeling is good.) Dust your arms with rosin, then go to those locations as needed throughout the game.
If you already have a body-touching routing in place, as advised above, you can easily throw a pitch, wipe your neck and arms, smack the rosin bag—and repeat. This combination works just as well as pine tar.
If you feel you've overloaded, or if your fingers are getting gunked up, take your hat off, run your fingers through your hair, then wipe your sweat-soaked hand harshly against your pant leg until you've cleaned some off. This will tide you over until you make it back into the dugout. (It's also why you see otherwise clean pitchers in their home whites with brown streaks on the side of their throwing-hand leg.)
A Major League Pitcher's Guide To Doctoring A Baseball
