There is a claim the World Series balls are slicker than the regular season balls:
Pitchers and coaches from both the Dodgers and Astros complained Saturday night about the World Series baseballs—and this time the controversy is not just about liveliness. They say there is a new problem: the baseballs used in the World Series are slicker than the ones used in the regular season because of a difference in the grain of the leather. The slicker World Series balls particularly make it hard to throw a good slider, they claim.
“We had a well-pitched game tonight from both sides,” Astros pitching coach Brent Strom said after Los Angeles won Game 4, 6-2. “I’m not taking anything away from the players. I just want to know why? Why in the world would the baseballs in the World Series be different? Because you can see the difference. You can feel it. I don’t understand it at all.”
This supposedly hurt Ken Giles and Yu Darvish, who cannot throw a good slider with the ball. The Astros are hitting .241/.313/.420 in the post season. The Dodgers are hitting .242/.339/.457. Both teams are hitting for power, both teams are taking their walks, but they are not crushing balls in general. Strikeouts are very high.
I suppose the ink, gold instead of blue, that is used to stamp the ball doesn’t stick to a rougher surface. Why doesn’t someone in the media just call Rawlings and ask?
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2ycYxjY
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