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<\/p>\nBaseballs are suddenly flying far at a time when a manufacturing error has left many of them with a yellow discoloration, but Major League Baseball doesn\u2019t believe one has anything to do with the other.<\/p>\n
Although MLB on Tuesday acknowledged that game balls are performing differently of late, the league so far does not see a connection between the pigment mishap and a ball that, for the last month, has been livelier than it has been since 2019, a season in which home run records were shattered.<\/p>\n
The league said that \u201cvariation in performance\u201d has led to a decrease in drag, which is a measure of how much a ball slows down in flight. Data shows the changes in drag, and the corresponding surge in batted ball distance, began around the start of June, and players say they have noticed that something is different.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe baseballs are doing some weird things,\u201d Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal told The Athletic last week. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you guys are paying attention to that. They\u2019re flying right now. Go look at the numbers and tell me that something\u2019s not going on. There\u2019s no coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
MLB\u2019s game balls are produced by Rawlings, a company the league partially owns, and the maker has run into various quality-control issues in recent years with a product that is handmade.<\/p>\n
\u201cRawlings and our scientists do not see any evidence to date that the yellow staining is related to this change in drag,\u201d the league said in a statement Tuesday, in response to questions from The Athletic. \u201cWe will continue to monitor the performance of the baseball as the season progresses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Major League Baseball Players Association declined comment.<\/p>\n
Rawlings told MLB in early February that in about 50 percent of baseballs shipped for the 2026 regular season and spring training, \u201csome excess oil from the yarn inside the baseball filtered through the leather cover of the ball, creating some yellow discoloration,\u201d the league said in its statement.<\/p>\n
Both Rawlings and an MLB laboratory \u2014 which operates out of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell \u2014 tested the balls, which were found to be \u201cwithin specifications and performed consistent with prior years,\u201d the statement continued. In February, clubs were looped in, as was the MLBPA. Additionally, balls that show \u201ccosmetic imperfections\u201d are removed, the league said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRawlings has resolved the issue with the yarn supplier, but due to the necessary lead times associated with baseball production,\u201d MLB added, \u201cthe balls without the staining will not be shipped to clubs until late in the 2026 season or early 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two people who read a report of testing at the Massachusetts lab, and were not authorized to speak publicly about the study, said it did not include measures of drag.<\/p>\n
Drag is now down in June, and similarly struck balls are traveling about eight feet further than they did earlier in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the craziest month for drag I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d said one high-ranking research and development analyst for an MLB team, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.<\/p>\n
While acknowledging that the drag decline is real, MLB did not offer a specific explanation for the phenomenon.<\/p>\n
\u201cMLB makes drag data available to the public on Baseball Savant and we are aware of the recent reduction in drag,\u201d the league\u2019s statement continued. \u201cTo be clear, there has been no change in the materials or manufacturing process of the baseball. Because the baseball is hand-sewn and is made with natural materials, we expect variation in performance both throughout the season and between seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baseball Savant, a statistics website run by MLB, tracks the drag of the ball publicly and graphs a daily figure. The graph looks drastically different compared to any other year since the site started tracking drag in 2016.<\/p>\n
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MLB\u2019s statistical analysts have created a metric to measure drag on the ball called drag coefficient. By looking directly at the velocity and spin out of the pitcher\u2019s hand, and comparing that to the velocity of the ball when it reaches the plate, and then adjusting that number for weather effects, the metric reveals how much the ball is slowing down while spinning through the air. A lower drag coefficient means the ball will travel farther when put into play.<\/p>\n