{"id":772784,"date":"2026-07-01T20:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/772784\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:15:13","slug":"did-mlb-change-the-balls-again-plus-this-willson-contreras-ejection-was-actually-earned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/772784\/","title":{"rendered":"Did MLB change the balls again? Plus: *This* Willson Contreras ejection was actually earned"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

The baseballs have seemingly changed yet again, and the home runs are flying. Plus: Benches cleared in Boston, Andy McCullough returns to the mailbag and Chris Paddack\u2019s agent has the opportunity to do something very funny. I\u2019m Levi Weaver \u2014 welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Drag Rates: Is MLB changing the balls again?<\/p>\n

Last week, I saw a\u00a0tweet by our Eno Sarris<\/a>\u00a0suggesting that lower drag in June was causing a huge uptick in home runs.<\/p>\n

Today, Sarris and Evan Drellich\u00a0posted their findings<\/a>. It\u2019s not great!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with this visual,\u00a0courtesy of Baseball Savant<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"\"\/So, what are we looking at?<\/p>\n

In layman\u2019s terms, the higher up on that chart we go, the more drag \u2014 aka, how much the air slows down a ball in flight \u2014 on batted baseballs. The lower the point, the less drag \u2014 which means batted balls go further.<\/p>\n

Back in 2019, players were ahead of reporting on this, telling anyone who would listen that baseballs were flying further than usual.<\/p>\n

The numbers bore that out:\u00a06,776 home runs were hit that year, breaking the previous record of 6,105 in 2017, and jumping by nearly 1,200 from 2018.
\nIn no other year before or since has that total surpassed 6,000.
\n(2018, by the way, is when MLB became part owners of ball manufacturer Rawlings.)
\nIn 2021 and 2022, the reporting caught up to the players. Bradford Willam Davis worked with astrophysicist Meredith Wills, and reported that MLB used two different balls in 2021, and\u00a0as many as three in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But back to the chart. In 2019, as expected, the drag was very low. You can see how it increased in those years reported by Davis and Wells, too. You can also see how the drag has drastically dropped from May to June this year.\u00a0And the home runs are flying out at the rate you\u2019d expect, given those numbers. So what\u2019s happening?<\/p>\n

MLB acknowledges a manufacturing error, but says it\u2019s only superficial \u2014 that a problem with the yarn caused some balls to be slightly more yellow in color. The league insists the balls are within the acceptable range of quality control, and we\u2019re just seeing a \u201cvariation in performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hmm \u2026<\/p>\n

More on this:\u00a0Eno and DVR hopped on \u201cRates & Barrels\u201d to\u00a0explain further what we know<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: Optimism in New York?<\/p>\n

Today, Andy McCullough makes his grand return from paternal leave to answer your questions in\u00a0our MLB mailbag<\/a>. Here\u2019s one about the Yankees:<\/p>\n

The Yankees have played pretty well while Aaron Judge is on the injured list. What personnel changes will they make when he returns?\u00a0\u2014 James P.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m as optimistic about the current Yankees product as you are, James. The team suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox last weekend. The starting pitching has taken its lumps. And the offense, of course, misses Judge, who likely won\u2019t be back until August, at the earliest. Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice have cooled off. Jazz Chisholm Jr. still hasn\u2019t heated up.<\/p>\n

A lot can happen between now and whenever Judge returns. Specifically, a lot of other injuries can happen. But Jasson Dom\u00ednguez has not hit well since replacing Judge in right field. If he does not catch fire, the team could just option him back to the minors.<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0our full mailbag<\/a>\u00a0for more on the Mets, Rockies, Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. and World Cup fans in MLB ballparks.<\/p>\n

Contreras Drama, Cont\u2019d: Benches clear in Boston<\/p>\n

Willson Contreras was\u00a0ejected for the second straight game<\/a>\u00a0in last night\u2019s 8-1 loss to the Nats.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s back up.\u00a0On Monday, first-base umpire Nic Lentz tossed Contreras for simply tapping his helmet as he walked back to the dugout after a strikeout.\u00a0It was the wrong call<\/a>, and, quite frankly, an embarrassing one for Lentz.<\/p>\n

Then Contreras was ejected again last night.\u00a0Except this one was more deserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yesterday, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli struck Contreras out looking and then shouted, \u201cSit down, boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Contreras initially looked confused as he started walking toward the mound, asking, \u201cAre you talking to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure what Cavalli said after that, but it set Contreras off. He tried to bull-rush Cavalli, throwing his helmet in the direction of the pitcher (he missed by quite a lot).<\/p>\n

The beef between Cavalli and Contreras could\u2019ve been\u00a0started by Contreras in the first inning<\/a>, as suggested by Cavalli\u2019s postgame comments and a helpful camera angle.<\/p>\n

As bench-clearing incidents go, it was more than the minimum push-and-shove. But aside from the helmet and a few players thrown to the ground, it didn\u2019t escalate any further.<\/p>\n

In addition to Contreras, interim manager Chad Tracy was also ejected (for the first time in his career) after a long conversation with umpires, seemingly upset that Cavalli wasn\u2019t punished for instigating. Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and Nats pitcher Miles Mikolas were also ejected.<\/p>\n

Making matters worse for the last-place Red Sox: Starter Connelly Early left the game with \u201celbow discomfort,\u201d which is not a phrase you ever want to hear about your starting pitcher.<\/p>\n

More context for beef:\u00a0Jomboy\u2019s breakdown of the Austin Hedges-Josh Naylor beef shows that\u00a0Naylor started the conversation<\/a>, making Hedges\u2019 response a bit more understandable.<\/p>\n

Hear Me Out: Chris Paddack, gun for hire?<\/p>\n

Before Monday\u2019s game in Cleveland, the Rangers announced their signing of Chris Paddack to a big-league deal. That night, he followed opener Tyler Alexander and pitched a respectable four innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, one strikeout and no walks.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, the Rangers announced they designated Paddack for assignment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that an expensive move though? A guaranteed league-minimum salary for four innings?<\/p>\n

Not exactly: MLB contracts\u00a0are\u00a0guaranteed, but Paddack started this season with a $4 million salary from the Marlins. He was DFA\u2019d and subsequently released in early May, meaning any team who signs him pays a prorated percentage of the league minimum, for however long he stays on the roster. That amount is then subtracted from the Marlins\u2019 bill.<\/p>\n

So when the Reds signed him on May 13, then DFA\u2019d and released him last week, they paid about a month\u2019s worth of the league minimum for six games from Paddack. For the Rangers, the one-day stint cost \u2014 I believe \u2014 1\/187th of the league minimum of $780,000, or roughly $4,171.<\/p>\n

Listen, I am anti-collusion.\u00a0I need to say that, because what I\u2019m about to propose sounds a\u00a0lot\u00a0like collusion.<\/p>\n

But it would be funny (for\u00a0me, if not particularly for Paddack and his family) if teams would continue to take advantage of this situation, signing Paddack on days when they need a spot starter, paying $4,171 for the service, then cutting him loose to be available for the next team in need of a one-day breather for their staff.\u00a0Cubs<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Paddack is already more than halfway to the record for most teams played for in one season (Five teams,\u00a0done by three players<\/a>: Oliver Drake in 2018, Mike Baumann in 2024 and Jose Ure\u00f1a last year).<\/p>\n

Jokes aside: The fact that two of those three record-holders came in the last two seasons is no coincidence. As Britt Ghiroli writes in\u00a0an expansive bit of analysis here<\/a>, we\u2019re seeing the effects of MLB shuttering 40 minor-league teams a few years ago.<\/p>\n

More Rangers (kinda):\u00a0In last night\u2019s 4-2 win, Texas took the lead when Guardians left fielder Cooper Ingle, playing in his fourth big-league game,\u00a0threw the ball into the stands<\/a>\u00a0after catching a fly ball that he mistook as the third out. It was, in fact, not the third out.<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

From buyers to sellers, and the \u201chinge\u201d teams in between, here are our\u00a0Trade Deadline Tiers 1.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ken Rosenthal\u00a0caught up with John Mozeliak for a Q&A<\/a>\u00a0about how he sees the Angels job, and what he plans to do with a franchise that hasn\u2019t had a winning season since 2015.<\/p>\n

Keith Law has his\u00a0top 100 draft rankings<\/a>\u00a0today, with Roch Cholowsky still in the top spot. Dan Hayes spoke to No. 4 on that list:\u00a0infielder Grady Emerson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Early in this season, Tatsuya Imai\u2019s difficulties adjusting to life in the states were well-documented. Chandler Rome tells us\u00a0how the Japanese pitcher has turned that narrative \u2014 and his season \u2014 around<\/a>\u00a0in Houston.<\/p>\n

Tarik Skubal versus the Yankees went a bit differently in Round 2: Skubal made things look easy,\u00a0outdueling Cam Schlittler<\/a>\u00a0in a 9-3 win that extended the Yanks\u2019 losing streak to six games.<\/p>\n

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (who has home runs in five straight games) was announced as\u00a0the first confirmed participant<\/a>\u00a0in this year\u2019s new-look Home Run Derby. Caminero was runner-up to Cal Raleigh in last year\u2019s contest.<\/p>\n

Here are your month-of-June leaders in a few categories:<\/p>\n

Home Runs:\u00a013, Hunter Goodman (COL)
\nHits:\u00a039, Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC)
\nStolen Bases:\u00a011, Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR)
\nStrikeouts:\u00a045, Jacob deGrom (TEX)
\nSaves:\u00a012, Jacob Latz (TEX)
\nTeam Record:\u00a0Miami Marlins, 20-6<\/p>\n

Milestones:\u00a0Bryan Woo set a Mariners record with 32 straight scoreless innings at T-Mobile Park, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts became the fastest manager to 1,000 wins, doing it in game No. 1,606.<\/p>\n

Streak watch:\u00a0Royals catcher Carter Jensen\u2019s hit streak is 20 games, with a home run last night; 14 to go to hit Benito Santiago\u2019s all-time rookie hit streak record (set in 1987).<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last Windup:\u00a0Jen McCaffrey\u2019s story about\u00a0Contreras\u2019 previous ejection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482959,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-772784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}