Toronto Blue Jays: Marcus Stroman voices frustration with baseball’s blister “epidemic”

As the newest pitcher to experience blister issues, Marcus Stroman reaffirms the suspicion that there is something different about baseballs this season.

Following one of his shortest outings of the season, Marcus Stroman had a little extra time to voice his frustration with baseball’s blister “epidemic.” His start on Monday against the New York Yankees was cut short when a blister on his middle finger held him to just five innings of work.

“Just got a blister. I’ve never had a blister in my life,” Stroman said (per fanragsports.com). “Nothing remotely close to having a blister. It’s crazy. It’s extremely frustrating.”

It is undeniable that blisters are increasingly becoming a new hurdle for pitchers to jump over. In recent years, a number of major league pitchers – such as Brett Anderson, Clayton Richard and Collin McHugh – have been sidelined because of blisters and none know this issue better than Rich Hill.

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Hill made only 20 starts last season between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers with reoccurring blister issues. Even this year, a lingering blister takes partial blame for his 5-4 record and uncharacteristically-high 4.00 ERA.

“I feel like it’s an epidemic that’s happening across the big leagues now, a bunch of pitchers getting blisters,” Stroman said. “Guys who have never had blisters before.”

Blister are even old news within Stroman’s own pitching staff. Aaron Sanchez began 2017 looking to build off his 15-win season from last year.

Yet, reoccurring blister problems, which kept him on the disabled list since late May, held him to only five starts this season. Although he is expected to return in the coming months, there is no telling how long this blister will continue to effect him.

Juiced?

What is also undeniable is that baseball is experiencing an unprecedented increase of home runs being hit. According to Fangraphs, pitchers are giving up 1.27 home runs per nine innings which is the highest rate in baseball history. This pace led to a record-breaking June, where 1,070 home runs were hit in a single month.

While many jaws are dropping at these monstrous home runs, others are beginning to raise their eyebrows. Although Major League Baseball claims there is nothing different about their baseballs, several pitchers have voiced their suspicion that their blisters and these home runs are related.

“It just feels like there’s been a lot of home runs being hit by guys who normally don’t hit them, or by guys who normally don’t hit them where they hit them,” Mets reliever Jerry Blevins said (per usatoday.com). “I’ve seen so many home runs that just don’t look normal.”

To a point, the numbers don’t lie. Dodger Stadium was once the ballpark pitchers dreamed of. This season, thanks in part to Cody Bellinger, it is ninth in home runs hit in any ballpark. Similarly, Target Field, which was a slugger’s bane since it opened in 2010, is now the fifth-best ballpark to hit bombs.

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“But we, as pitchers, just want answers,” Marlins reliever David Phelps said. “We want to know what changed because there’s definitely a difference with the way balls are flying out of the ballpark. If there’s a reason, we just want to know what it is.’’