Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Matthew Brown
Next time you hear a pitcher complain about MLB’s crackdown on Spider Tack, remember this: At least they’re not being forced to quit chewing tree bark.
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According to Baseball Hall of Fame research, a century ago, major league pitchers weren’t just athletes – they were amateur botanists, seeking out the perfect slippery elm tree to fuel their spitball arsenal. The bark’s sticky saliva-inducing properties made it the Spider Tack of its day.
And just like today’s sticky substance debate, it all came crashing down when baseball decided enough was enough.
The Original ‘Sticky Stuff’
History of Cardinals tells us that in 1920, MLB banned the spitball and its cousin, the slippery elm ball. The parallels to today’s crackdown on foreign substances are almost comical.
Back then, pitchers claimed they needed the extra moisture “like a motor needs oil.” Today, they insist they need grip enhancers to maintain control. Different century, same song.
But here’s where it gets interesting. According to SABR research, baseball’s 1920 crackdown wasn’t really about the spitball itself. It was about all the other “doctored” pitches that pitchers were sneaking in under the guise of going to their mouths for a legitimate spitball.
Sound familiar? MLB’s current sticky stuff crusade isn’t just about rosin bags anymore – it’s about the arms race of increasingly tacky substances that turned ordinary pitchers into spin-rate gods.
The 1920 solution was fascinating: Baseball grandfathered in 17 established spitballers, letting them throw their wet ones until retirement. Imagine MLB announcing today that only Gerrit Cole and 16 other veterans could keep using Spider Tack.
Burleigh Grimes, the last legal spitballer, carried his precious slippery elm bark in his glove until 1934. Opposing players would kick his glove between innings, trying to dislodge his secret weapon. It was baseball’s first sticky substance cat-and-mouse game.
The end result? Baseball survived. Hitting came back. The game adapted. Though some pitchers surely kept doctoring balls in secret (looking at you, Gaylord Perry), the sport found a new equilibrium.
New Era, Same Game
Which brings us to today. As MLB umpires pat down pitchers like TSA agents, we’re not in uncharted territory. We’re just writing another chapter in baseball’s eternal arms race between rules and innovation.
Perhaps the most telling detail from 1920: When they banned the spitter, baseball’s powers-that-be didn’t just prohibit saliva. They specifically outlawed “paraffin, licorice, sand-paper, emery-paper or other foreign substance.”
They knew that if they only banned spit, pitchers would just find the next slippery elm bark. Some things never change.
So the next time you hear debates about spin rates and grip enhancers, remember: A century ago, major league pitchers were literally chewing tree bark to get an edge. The substances may change, but baseball’s sticky relationship with foreign substances is as old as the game itself.