MIAMI _ The debate over whether baseballs are juiced or not has dominated All-Star week.
But Commissioner Rob Manfred dismissed the idea on Tuesday while meeting with members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
"We've done more testing on baseballs the last couple of years than ever has been done in the sport," Manfred said. "And I do know with absolute certainty that the baseball falls within the tolerance of the specifications that have existed for many years. Absolutely certain about that."
Home runs and strikeouts both are accumulating at a record pace, continuing a recent trend. The total of 1,101 home runs in June was a major-league monthly record, topping the 1,069 in May 2000, during the so-called Steroid Era before drug-testing.
Manfred defended the drug-testing program, saying there's "more testing than ever," and said baseball is looking into what is possibly causing the surge. He believes "dramatic changes to the way the game is taught and played at the big-league level" is a big factor, pointing to the proliferation of power pitchers in bullpens and a "dramatic increase in tolerance" for strikeouts from modern day hitters and managers.
National League starter Max Scherzer of the Nationals said the reason is simple _ harder-throwing pitchers have made the hitters adjust their strategy.
"The pitching is better at this stage than what it has been in the past," Scherzer said. "That has forced the hitters to become better. Competition raises everybody's level, and so the hitters had to become better hitters. The only way you're going to do damage to some of these (pitchers) is to keep swinging for the fences, keep going for the home runs.
"The pitching is so good now you just don't see six consecutive singles anymore. Guys throw too hard and have too nasty off-speed stuff, so that model _ let's just string six hits together and score three runs _ well, that might not be the most efficient or best way to play this game. The hitters quickly identified, 'Hey, if we swing for the fence a little bit more often, we can actually score more runs. Instead of scoring three, maybe we can score five runs.'
"That's why they're more willing to sell out for the home run and they're OK with their strikeouts. And as they're OK with that, that just makes power pitching more dominant."
The idea of the balls being juiced isn't new, but it has gained traction since the June surge.
"I don't know, I hope not," Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said. "If it is it's going to make me feel bad, because I think I only had one in June (actually two)."
Lindor said he does feel a difference between batting practice balls and game balls. Even 165-pound second baseman Jose Altuve of the Astros has 13 home runs.
"I just know when you hit it it's going to go," Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts said. "He tends to hit a lot of them, and they all go. You can't knock a man for what he does best."
So what does Betts think of the balls?
"I don't know," he said. "I just catch it when it's coming my way and hit it when it's coming my way. I don't think about the science. Guys are getting bigger and stronger. I can't do anything about it. Nobody can do anything about it."
So speculation will continue, and theories are certain to fly through the end of the season, and maybe beyond.
"Will we ever probably know the whole answer?" Manfred asked. "Probably not."
