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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Kathryn Xu

Ronel Blanco #56 is walked off the field by Joe Espada #19 of the Houston Astros after being ejected in the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics.

The Gunk Inspectors Have Nabbed Ronel Blanco And Seized His Glove

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

Los Angeles, CA - April 19: Mets starter Max Max Scherzer (21) reacts after being ejected in the fourth inning of the game against the Dodgers on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Max Scherzer Is In A Sticky, Not Tacky, Situation

Robert Arthur

Max Scherzer is very patiently inspected for sticky stuff contamination during a September Dodgers game.

The Sticky Stuff Crackdown Has Worn Off

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

GunkWatch: Watch Out For Flying Belts!

Lauren Theisen

It’s Fun To Boo The Gunk Inspections

Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Richards leaving the mound after one of his three bad starts since the sticky stuff ban.

How Low Can The RPM Go?

Trevor Bauer of the Dodgers is inspected for sticky stuff.

Trevor Bauer Is Not Cheating

Hector Santiago of the Mariners gets ejected by umpires for having slime inside his glove.

GunkWatch: Baseball’s New Sticky Stuff Protocols Finally Bust A Guy

Tom Ley

Garrett Richards Is What A Sticky-Stuff Casualty Looks Like

Shohei Ohtani chuckles good-naturedly through a search for sticky stuff.

GunkWatch: Shohei Ohtani Laughs At Mere Mortals Who Need Sticky Stuff

Ray Ratto

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 22: Pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals takes off his belt after throwing his cap and glove down as umpires ask to search him for sticky substances during the fourth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 22, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

We Can Make Gunk Inspections Even Weirder. We Must.

Max Scherzer grimaces his way through a third goop check.

Joe Girardi’s Corncobbing Highlighted A Delightful Night For Sticky-Stuff Enforcement

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees rubs the ball between pitches during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Sahlen Field on June 16, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

Bring On The Sticky-Stuff Anarchy

David Roth

Gerrit Cole of the Yankees rubs up a baseball, with what we can presume is nothing at all, just a normal thing you do with your hands.

No League Cleans Up Its Own Mess Worse Than Baseball

Gerrit Cole, seen here looking uncomfortable on the mound, if notably less uncomfortable than he seemed when asked whether he cheats.

Podcasts

Napoleonic Wars, Baseball Cheating, And Pandemic Television, With Michael Schur

Patrick Dubuque is a writer and editor at Baseball Prospectus.

Patrick Dubuque

Giovanny Gallegos, seen here not being bothered about whatever sticky stuff he does or doesn't have on his glove.

Sticky Stuff