The Atlas Obscura Podcast Baseball’s Muddy Little Secret
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Nov 4, 2025 After the World Series, hosts discuss a quirky baseball tradition where every ball is rubbed with secret mud from the Delaware River Basin. This special mud improves grip and has a fascinating backstory linked to a tragic past involving pitchers. They explore the shift from the dead-ball to live-ball era, revealing how fresh balls transformed gameplay. The secret of this mud, harvested by the Bitliff family, is closely guarded, raising questions about standardization in the MLB. The hosts reflect on the charm of this unusual ritual in America's favorite pastime.
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MLB Uses A Single Secret Rubbing Mud
- Major League Baseball mandates a pregame process called mudding using a single approved substance to make balls playable.
- The mud comes from a secret Delaware River Basin tributary and is an official industry standard.
Fresh Baseballs Are Too Slippery
- New leather baseballs are too slick for pitchers to grip reliably, which led to widespread ball doctoring.
- The league later standardized ball handling to prevent dangerous, altered balls in play.
Ray Chapman Death Changed Baseball Rules
- The fatal 1920 pitch that killed Ray Chapman prompted MLB to stop using one ball per game and introduce ball replacement rules.
- After that change, teams began using about 100–120 balls per game to keep visibility and safety higher.