The Boston Red Sox may have notched a victory on Sunday afternoon, but closer Kenley Jansen had some pretty harsh words for Major League Baseball for the quality of the baseballs this season.
“I got to get better, but also if you’re playing in the cold weather, windy, and you get pearls balls out there that’s not rubbed well, I don’t know where the ball’s going,” Jansen said after the game according to ESPN.
Though Jansen completed the save to secure the victory for the Red Sox, he hit the leadoff batter and walked another batter in the game. And he thinks the quality of the baseballs were to blame.
“I don’t hit guys, I don’t walk people this much. And I start to get frustrated.” Jansen said. “Any balls that came, I just throw it back till when I find a good ball. And it’s just brutal.”
Jansen claimed that the quality of the baseballs has only gotten worse over time.
“It’s embarrassing. It’s been a while I’ve been playing in this league and, from the beginning of my career until now, it’s getting worse,” Jansen said.
“It’s been an issue the whole year,” Jansen continued. “I’ve been talking to a lot of my teammates, and they feel the same way. First pitch, get out of my hand, I don’t know where it’s going. Second pitch, the same thing. Then, I tried to throw a ball down the middle, just keep going down. It’s tough trying to make an adjustment and also you have the clock ticking.”
Obviously, these comments led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Red Sox Closer Kenley Jansen becomes second notable MLB pitcher to criticize ball quality: 'It's just brutal'.⚾️
Tampa Bay Rays Closer Pete Fairbanks recently expressed his frustration with the ball quality at Coors Field in Colorado. ⚾️
Both about the Ball's gripping ability! pic.twitter.com/vHXuYNlNEa— Gary McMurrain (@GarySonnyChiba) April 15, 2024
Interesting words from Kenley Jansen, as they may relate to David Bednar's control issues last week vs Detroit. https://t.co/Hazdd2gl2U
— David Pegram (@DavidPegram) April 15, 2024
@StephenNelson You mentioned balls being rejected by the pitcher a few minutes ago in the 8th inning… here is what Kenley Jansen said about his outing today; "Any balls that came, I just threw it back until I found a good ball. It's just brutal…"
— Jeff Jones (@RollieJonesJr) April 15, 2024
Excuses Kenley Jansen says the quality of game balls are "getting worse" as slick baseballs are hard to control https://t.co/AzC659Vlen
— ChristianConservativeWeatherGuru (@MagaWeather) April 14, 2024
"If you have zero help and your bullpen balls are better rubbed than the game balls, it's embarrassing."
Kenley Jansen unloaded on MLB following Sunday's game, decrying the quality of the league's game balls which he says are too difficult to grip.https://t.co/WbDFrJAV2w
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) April 14, 2024
Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen unloaded on MLB following Sunday's win, saying the league's game balls aren't being rubbed properly and are too difficult to grip. "It's embarrassing." https://t.co/EjRbgja7Ms
— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) April 14, 2024
We’ll have to see whether or not this situation improves throughout the season.
