Published September 19, 2015
Using a suspicious substance for a better hold of the baseball on cool days is not such a sticky situation.
Whether it's the Yankees' Michael Pineda with a mysterious brown goo on his hand, Boston's Jon Lester with a green smudge in his glove or Houston's Josh Zeid spraying something on his forearm before entering a recent game, most major leaguers don't care whether pitchers get a little help — even though it's against the Official Baseball Rules.
To some, it's preferable.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino says "it's an unwritten rule in the game. I'm sure a lot of pitchers do it."
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/get-a-grip-major-leaguers-accept-pitchers-using-sticky-substances-for-a-better-hold-of-ball