Dec 10, 1919: Crack down on spitter  Rule to be enforced  NEW
YORK, NEW YORK - National League owners went on record today in
baseball history (December 10, 1919) to ban the spitball and
other "freak" pitches. It was considered an unfair advantage for
the pitcher to put a "foreign" substance, such as saliva,
petroleum jelly or mud on the ball because it changed its
aerodynamics making it harder to hit.  The spitball was mastered
by a number of pitchers in the early 1900's. According to
Baseball-Reference the pitch was invented by George Hildebrand.
Jack Chesbro of the New York Yankees and Ed Walsh of the Chicago
White Sox got the most out of the spitter, each winning at least
40 games in a year - the only American League pitchers to do so.
The spitball was always controversial. There had been rules
against altering the baseball since the 1870's, but they weren't
enforced. The National League owners' vote at their annual
meeting on this date in 1919 was a big step toward finally
cracking down. The Major Leag