Major League Baseball has recently enforced the mostly-ignored rule in baseball games. The rule, which prohibits the use of any foreign substances by the pitchers, has been implemented more aggressively than ever. This rule has been in discussion for the last few seasons due to the increasing practice of using sticky adhesives among pitchers to grip the ball better. But on the other hand, experts speculate that enforcing this rule might lead to increased injuries among players.

The Reason Behind the Rule

Pitchers usually mix rosin with sunscreen to increase the friction between the ball and their fingers. This mixture helps them to control the ball, which is otherwise quite slippery. There is another popular sticky adhesive called Spider Tack. It has been found in almost every Major League game, enabling players to do extremely high-speed pitching, and making hitting the ball almost impossible! According to experts, pitching after using Spider Tack is equivalent to going at a speed of 90 mph. That’s why Sports Illustrated recently dubbed the use of these substances one of the biggest scandals in sports.

The Effects of the Rule

The new rule removes all foreign substances from pitching, from the simple sunscreen mix to the more problematic Spider Tack. The league is also encouraging the umpires to check the pitchers frequently, especially for anything sticky that might help the player grip the ball. If found violating the rules, the responsible players would be suspended. While this new rule may effectively reduce the spinning rate of the ball during pitching, making it easier to hit, it may also lead to a possible increase in injuries. According to experts, adapting to a new manual grip while maintaining the quality of pitching will create a reduction in friction. As the players have to change the motion and way of using muscles suddenly, it may cause an increase in arm, elbow, or ligament injuries among pitchers.

Claressa Shields is an American boxer and mixed martial artist with multiple world championships under her belt. She’s recently been in exciting MMA fights in the Professional Fighters League and is to return to the boxing ring in the UK in December. The boxing star claims it would be a form of disrespect for a fighter of her caliber to face off against YouTuber-turned-fighter, Jake Paul.

Claressa Shields on MMA

In 2021, Claressa Shields made her MMA debut and it was certainly a successful one. It started with a third-round technical knockout against Brittney Elkin that secured Shields her first win. The second fight took place on Wednesday where Shields faced off against Abigail Montes and suffered her first loss. This split decision was made with the judges’ cards showing scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29. The fight was mainly uneventful with Montes mainly remaining on the outside trying to avoid Shields’ boxing and attempting to take the fight to the ground.

Shields Calls Jake Paul a Play-Fighter

When asked about comments regarding Jake Paul, Shields expressed confusion as to why people think that a man with no professional fighting experience or Olympic wins could have any chance of defeating her. Shields goes on to say that, if faced off against Paul, she would not only defeat but embarrass this YouТuber turned fighter by fighting him with one arm and resorting only to jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. She believes that putting up an accomplished boxer like herself against a play-fighter would be disrespectful.

Preparing for Upcoming Matches

With her MMA fights in 2021 completed, Claressa Shields is preparing for her upcoming boxing matches starting in December. The event will take place in the UK and will be covered by Sky Sports. Shields’ main rival, Savannah Marshall, will be sharing the same bill. What’s certain is that both boxing and MMA fans have a lot to look forward to this season as Shields remains on track with her brilliant and exciting career.