Justin Verlander Claims Baseballs Are Juiced To Benefit Hitters, Says MLB Is Turning Game Into A “F—ing” Joke

by Jason HirschJuly 9, 2019, 4:33 pmDaily Digest, News >

Houston Astros and American League All-Star Game starting pitcher Justin Verlander told reporters in Cleveland on Monday that the balls used in Major League Baseball this season are “a f—ing joke.”

Verlander also said that he believes MLB is, “100%” implementing juiced baseballs.

Verlander, 36, has given up more home runs than any other starting pitcher in baseball this season with 26. Verlander’s high-fastball that sits at the hitter’s eye level is often susceptible to being hit out of the ballpark, wether there are juiced baseballs or not.

Overall, hitters across baseball have combined to hit 3,691 home runs, and are on pace to hit a combined 6,668 home runs by the end of the regular season. The current record for home runs hit across baseball in a Major League season currently stands at 6,105, which became the new record two years ago in 2017.

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Since 2014, the number of home runs hit across baseball spiked by 60%. The commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, launched an investigation to determine whether or not the baseballs were causing the spike in home run production. The investigation concluded that while the balls were performing differently, that it was indeterminable whether it was causing a spike in power production by Major League batters. After the investigation concluded, MLB bought Rawlings, the current suppliers of the baseballs used in Major League games.

“It’s a f—ing joke,” said Verlander, an eight-time All-Star who is starting his second All-Star Game on Tuesday. “Major League Baseball’s turning this game into a joke. They own Rawlings, and you’ve got Manfred up here saying it might be the way they center the pill. They own the f—ing company. If any other $40 billion company bought out a $400 million company and the product changed dramatically, it’s not a guess as to what happened. We all know what happened. Manfred the first time he came in, what’d he say? He said we want more offense. All of a sudden he comes in, the balls are juiced? It’s no coincidence. We’re not idiots.”