Why do baseball players rub new balls with special mud?
Every Major League baseball is hand-rubbed with a specific type of prehistoric mud to remove the factory gloss and provide pitchers with a reliable, safe grip.
Brand new baseballs are naturally slick and glossy, making them dangerous projectiles if they slip from a pitcher's hand. Since the 1930s, every ball used in the Major Leagues is treated with Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud to create a matte finish.
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