A unique mud from a secret location along New Jersey's Delaware River tributary has been at the heart of Major League Baseball for decades, quietly helping pitchers grip baseballs better and enhancing game performance.
This "magic mud," known as Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, is applied to every MLB baseball, transforming its glossy, slippery surface into one that pitchers can easily handle.
While the exact location of the mud source is closely guarded, researchers have recently delved into its properties, uncovering why this mud is indispensable to the sport.
How MLB's Secret Mud Balances Grip and Spreadability for Pitchers
According to a new study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania discovered that this mud has special characteristics that make it spread like a cream while still providing a gritty, sandpaper-like grip once dried.
This duality allows the mud to both coat the leather baseball evenly and create a slightly rough texture that increases friction between the ball and a pitcher's fingers, giving them better control, Popsci reported.
When balls are first manufactured, their surfaces are too shiny and slick, making them hard for pitchers to grip. However, unlike banned sticky substances sometimes used by players, this mud is an approved grip enhancer. Teams carefully rub each ball with this mud before games to create a better pitching experience.
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Scientists Uncover Unique Properties Behind MLB's Essential Baseball Mud
In examining the mud, the research team, led by geophysicist Dr. Douglas Jerolmack and chemical engineer Dr. Shravan Pradeep, found that the mud consists of clay, tiny particles of quartz, and small amounts of plant material.
These ingredients, though common, are mixed in unique proportions that give the mud its rare spreadability and stickiness. To understand the mud's exact behavior, the scientists used three specialized techniques. First, they tested spreadability using a rheometer, a device that measures how materials flow.
This showed how easily the mud can be spread across the ball's surface. Then, they examined its stickiness with atomic force microscopy, a technique that detects how well the mud could help a player maintain grip. Lastly, they built a custom setup that simulated a human finger's texture and oiliness to see how the mud interacted with it.
The study found that the angular particles of sand in the mud are essential to its gritty texture. When the mud dries, these particles give the ball a slightly rough feel, which helps pitchers maintain control.
According to NY Times, this dual texture also makes it suitable as both a lubricant and a friction agent, two contrasting properties that are highly unusual to find together in natural substances.
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