Major leagues announce a rule change banning all “freak deliveries” by pitchers

rules

On February 9 1920 — The Joint Rules Committee bans all foreign substances or other alterations to the ball by pitchers, including saliva, resin, talcum powder, paraffin, and the shine and emery ball. A pitcher caught cheating will be suspended for 10 days. The American League allows each club to name just two pitchers who will be allowed to use the pitch for one more season. The National League allows each club to name all its spitball pitchers. There were 17 known spitball pitchers. No pitchers other than those designated will be permitted to use the banned pitch, and none at all after this season (however, the designated pitchers will eventually be allowed to use the pitch for the rest of their careers). Other rules changes: the adoption of writer Fred Lieb’s proposal that a game-winning home run with men on base be counted as a home run even if the batter’s run is not needed to win the game. Also, the intentional walk is banned, and everything that happens in a protested game will go in the records.

Complete list of pitchers that were allowed to throw the “spitter”:

American League (1920)
Doc Ayers  Detroit Tigers

Ray Caldwell  Cleveland Indians

Stan Coveleski  Cleveland Indians

Red Faber  Chicago White Sox

Dutch Leonard  Detroit Tigers

Jack Quinn  New York Yankees

Allen Russell  Boston Red Sox

Urban Shocker  St. Louis Browns

Allen Sothoron  St. Louis Browns

 

National League (1920)

Bill Doak  St. Louis Cardinals

Phil Douglas  New York Giants

Dana Fillingim  Boston Braves

Ray Fisher  Cincinnati Reds

Marv Goodwin  St. Louis Cardinals

Burleigh Grimes  Brooklyn Dodgers

Clarence Mitchell  Brooklyn Ddogers

Dick Rudolph  Boston Braves