Corey Knebel pitched great for the Milwaukee Brewers during Game 6 of the NLCS at Miller Park on Friday, shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers once again.
Knebel entered the fifth inning with two on and one out and got out of the jam with a flyout and strikeout. He then held the Dodgers scoreless in the sixth, allowing just a hit-by-pitch.
When the FS1 TV cameras showed Knebel on the mound during the game, there was something that stood out: his left forearm was glistening. The shininess was unnatural compared to the rest of his arm and hand.
What's going on with Corey Knebel's shiny forearm? pic.twitter.com/mfA5LpUQrU
— Larry Brown Sports (@larrybrownsport) October 20, 2018
Knebel appeared to have a greasy foreign substance on his left arm. Pitchers can often get better break on their stuff by using slick substances, which is why it would be in their interest to use something even if it’s against the rules.
Why don’t managers called for checks of pitchers if they see such things? We did see one check in the ALCS, but it was of a catcher and went nowhere.
The prevalence of foreign substances used by pitchers is believed to be so wide that managers don’t want to call out someone else unless they know everyone on their team is clean. MLB reportedly considered a crackdown on the issue last year, but they obviously have not done much.
