At this point, there is little reasonable argument against the notion that the MLB baseballs have been juiced in 2019. Studies have reached the conclusion that something is different about the baseballs, and really, that comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched a big-league game this season.
Joc Pederson’s ninth-inning home run on Tuesday was just the latest example of MLB’s baseball problem.
Batting with one out against the Padres’ Michel Baez, Pederson hit a pitch off the end of the bat. Having played in the majors for six seasons, Pederson knows what a home run feels like off the bat. He’s hit 120 dingers in his career. But with this swing, Pederson was certain that he didn’t get all of the baseball.
He reacted with total frustration, flipping his bat out of disgust and turning his back on the ball’s flight.
Well, Pederson should have remembered that the baseballs are juiced because it carried five rows deep into the left-field stands at Petco Park.
Even as he rounded first base, Pederson had no idea how that ball left the yard. Spoiler alert: It’s the baseball.
The MLB record from 2017 of 6,105 home runs across baseball was broken two weeks ago. And after home runs like Pederson’s, it’s easy to see why.
