Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant (17) jogs off the field during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Kris Bryant happy about MLB foreign substance crackdown

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 6/23/21

Kris Bryant is speaking out in defense of MLB over their foreign substance checks of pitchers.

Some pitchers have spoken out against the way MLB decided to implement foreign substance checks midseason. One high-profile pitcher even blamed his injury on the change.

But Bryant is pleased. He says the excuse players were using to justify the need for sticky substances was baloney.

Kris Bryant on MLB’s crackdown on the sticky stuff: “We were so stupid as hitters, saying, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s for control. We just don’t want them to hit us.’ That was such a cop-out. I love that things are kind of going the other way. If we get hit, we get on-base percentage.”

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) June 23, 2021

MLB’s foreign substances problem was getting out of hand, which is why it’s good the league is addressing it. Maybe the timing wasn’t the best, but the players just need to deal with it.

Bryant went 1-for-3 in his Chicago Cubs’ 7-1 win over the Indians on Tuesday night, hitting his 14th home run. He is looking like his old self and succeeding despite the substance talk.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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