Rays pitcher Joel Peralta was ejected from a game because umpires found an excessive amount of pine tar on his glove. Pine tar is used to give pitchers a better grip on the ball. Having a better grip allows the pitcher to gain more control of the ball. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Year after his career, Hall of Famer Whitey Ford admitted to altering baseballs when he pitched. Ford even confessed to using his wedding ring to scuff the ball in order to get a better grip on it. Having a better grip allows the pitcher to gain more control of the ball. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz was accused of using sunscreen to lubricate baseballs. While Buchholz declined comment through a Red Sox spokesman, one source close to the Red Sox confirmed the team's pitchers almost all rely on sunscreen for better grip on finicky balls, particularly in cold, bad weather. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Gaylord Perry won 314 games during his career. After his career he admitted to using K-Y Jelly to add lubrication to the balls before he would pitch. Lubricating a ball causes the ball to slide off the pitcher’s fingers easier, giving the ball a more unpredictable movement when in flight. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Gaylord Perry also admitted to using vaseline to add lubrication to the balls before he would pitch. Lubricating a ball causes the ball to slide off the pitcher’s fingers easier, giving the ball a more unpredictable movement when in flight. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
In 1980, Mariners pitcher Rick Honeycutt was ejected for manipulating baseballs. A player reported him for using a thumbtack to scuff up the balls before pitching. Having a better grip allows the pitcher to gain more control of the ball. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Former Tigers pitcher Brian Moehler was ejected for taping sandpaper to his thumb during a game. Sandpaper is used to scuff the ball, which gives the baseball more movement when thrown. Having a better grip allows the pitcher to gain more control of the ball. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Marlins pitcher Alex Sanabia was caught spitting onto a baseball during a game earlier this season. Lubricating a ball causes the ball to slide off the pitcher’s fingers easier, giving the ball a more unpredictable movement when in flight. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
In 1999, former Diamondbacks pitcher Byung-Hyum Kim was ejected when a bandage with heat balm on it, flew out of his jersey. Heat balm is used as a lubricant to illegally throw a spitball. Lubricating a ball causes the ball to slide off the pitcher’s fingers easier, giving the ball a more unpredictable movement when in flight. (Thinkstock)
How to cheat in baseball without PEDs
Joe Niekro is one of the most infamous baseball stories of being caught red-handed. During a game in 1987 the umpire asked him to empty his pockets and Niekro tossed an emery board on the field. Niekro was accused of using the emery board to scuff the ball and was suspended for 10 games. Having a better grip allows the pitcher to gain more control of the ball. (Thinkstock)
Michael Pineda is the 2014 poster boy for pitchers who put a little something extra on the ball — and by that we mean a little something illegal. Junk ballers have been around as long as the game has, but baseball's unwritten code permits pitchers using things like pine tar and sunscreen to get a better grip, even though it's a clear and direct rule violation.
There is a plethora of other ways for baseball players to cheat without the use of PEDs. Take a look at the creative ways that pitchers have cheated in baseball over the years by doctoring baseballs.
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