The pine tar rule in baseball exists to limit the amount of pine tar that can be used on the bat, as this can give a hitter an unfair advantage. The rule states that no more than 18 inches of the bat may be covered in pine tar, and any bat that is found to have too much pine tar on it may be taken away from the hitter and replaced with an unaltered bat. The rule is in place to ensure that all hitters are on an even playing field and are not using an altered bat to gain an advantage.

Why is there a pine tar rule?

The pine tar rule is an official ruling in Major League Baseball (MLB) that limits the amount of pine tar that a player can have on their bat. The rule was created in 1983 after Kansas City Royals player George Brett used a bat covered in excessive amounts of pine tar during a game against the New York Yankees. The umpires ruled that the bat was illegal and called Brett out, but the Royals protested the call and the decision was overturned after Brett’s pine tar was found to be within the MLB’s allowable limit. The incident helped to create the official pine tar rule, which states that a player may not have more than 18 inches of pine tar on their bat.

Why can batters use pine tar but not pitchers?

Batters are allowed to use pine tar on their bats in order to improve their grip and make it easier to hit the ball, while pitchers are not allowed to use pine tar on the ball or their glove. This is because pitchers are generally more skilled and have more control over the ball, so if they were allowed to use pine tar, they could gain an unfair advantage over other pitchers. Additionally, pitchers could use pine tar to alter the movement of the ball, making it harder for batters to hit, which would give them an unfair advantage over the batter.