MLB To Experiment With Pre-Tacked Baseball During Triple-A Final Stretch

Major League Baseball is experimenting with the use of a different, pre-tacked baseball in select Triple-A games during the final days of the minor league season.

MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword told Baseball America on Thursday a “handful” of Triple-A teams will use the new baseball at some point during the final 10 games of the Triple-A season, known as the “Final Stretch.”

“On a very limited basis, we are getting into games a couple of prototype baseballs that (have) a different substance applied to them for grip purposes,” Sword said. “It’s not all the way across Triple-A. We just don’t have enough of them. We’re just finding a couple of teams willing to help us out (and) get them into games. Trying to get some game action for these things before the end of the year.”

Many of the teams involved will use the prototype baseball for only one of their final 10 games, Sword said.