Report: MLB will skip foreign substance checks at All-Star Game

Major League Baseball’s foreign substance checks have gotten plenty of attention since they became part of the in-game routine, but for one night only, it sounds like some pitchers are going to get a free pass.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, MLB will not check pitchers for foreign substances during the All-Star Game. As the league views the contest as an exhibition game, it did not see fit to conduct the checks on that stage.

From MLB’s perspective, the decision makes sense. There’s no sense drawing attention to the controversy on a national stage, especially when they would prefer the focus to be on the stars. Plus, with foreign substances clearly a hot-button issue between players right now, it’s best to just not go there.

Notably, MLB is happy with how things are going, so this shouldn’t be taken as a signal otherwise.