Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Latest Victim of League Wide Phenomenon
Would it be a baseball season this decade if the league didn't make a change that players and fans are unhappy about? Last season, it was the league cracking down on pitchers using foreign substances. This year, the league made some changes to the baseballs and it has drastically affected offensives across MLB.
Numerous times this year, Dodgers hitters have hit balls that, in previous years, would have been home runs. Now, they're warning track outs, at best. Cody Bellinger was the latest victim on Monday night.
The 2019 NL MVP recorded a 102.3 MPH exit velocity on a pitch from Giants reliever John Brebbia. It appeared to be leaving the yard and the pitcher himself thought it was going out.
“I thought it was going to kill someone trying to catch it in the 10th row. That’s not something I needed to see. …I thought [the umpire] was clowning around. Like, ‘Please give me another ball. We just lost that one.’ And he said, ‘You’re allowed to look.’ I’m sure he thought it was really funny. And that’s when I turned back around.”
Mauricio Dubon caught the ball on the warning track and Brebbia lived to fight another day.
It's not the first time a ball that should have been a home run turned into an outfield out. The baseballs are different this year. No debate required.
Hitters have voiced their concerns about how the ball travels and pitchers have complained about the overall feel of the balls.
Bellinger's the latest victim, but he won't be the last.
