LEADING OFF: Alonso's big allegation, Zombro out of hospital

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

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JUICY ALLEGATIONS

Mets slugger Pete Alonso uncorked a major allegation Wednesday, accusing MLB of manipulating its baseballs to harm the earning potential for star free agents and players eligible for arbitration.

Alonso, responding to a question about the supposedly pending crackdown on sticky substances used by pitchers, instead laid blame for a league-wide drop in offense on the league itself.

“I think that the biggest concern is that Major League Baseball manipulates the baseballs year in and year out depending on the free agency class — or guys being in an advanced part of their arbitration,” Alonso said.

The league did not comment on Alonso’s charge. MLB informed teams in February that it planned to slightly deaden the baseballs for the 2021 season following a years-long surge in home runs. In 2019, 3.6% of plate appearances ended in a homer, a number that has dropped to 3.1% this year.

As far as the original question was concerned, Alonso did not seem terribly concerned with what opposing pitchers might be putting on the ball.

“Whatever they want to use to help control the ball, let them use it, because for me, I go in the box every single day, and I see guys throwing harder and harder every day, and I don’t want 99 slipping out of someone’s hand,” Alonso said.

OUT OF THE HOSPITAL

Minor league pitcher Tyler Zombro is out of the hospital and transitioning to outpatiant occupational and speech therapy in Durham, North Carolina, after being struck in the head by a line drive last week.

Zombro, a right-hander in the Tampa Bay Rays organization pitching with Triple-A Durham, was hit by a sharp liner from Norfolk’s Brett Cumberland in the eighth inning on June...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Alonso-s-big-allegation-Zombro-out-16237749.php