David Price Wonders Whether Juiced Baseballs Are Causing Home Run Spike
Have baseballs really been “juiced” to fly further out of the ballpark? David Price thinks so.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher weighed in on the hot topic Thursday, and he’s got a pretty strong opinion on the matter.
“Come on. Just tell us,” Price said, via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “These balls are going 430, 440 feet, and they’re running full-sprint, and don’t think it’s a homer.”
Major League Baseball said there have been no changes on how the baseballs are manufactured, and evidence shows that newer balls have shorter seams and less drag, which means longer fly balls, according to a study done by The Athletic in 2018.
Price claims that players aren’t even getting all of the ball, yet still are launching deep home runs.
“They’re not even getting all of it, and they’re hitting homers to center field,” Price said. “That should not happen. Period.”
In the months of March and April, 1,144 home runs were hit, the highest one month total in MLB history. Price has allowed five home runs in six starts, which certainly has contributed to his frustration on the matter.
This probably isn’t a major reason as to why the Red Sox pitching staff has gotten off to a rough start, because every pitching staff is using the same ball, but it definitely makes you think about all the home runs that have been hit this year.
