"It's embarrassing" - Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen lashes out over baseball slickness after save vs. Angels

Boston Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen is upset with the quality of the baseballs he is having to use in pitching, and all that came out after a victory on Sunday. The relief pitcher closed out the ninth, but revealed after the win that he's been experiencing some frustrations over the baseball's slickness.

If the baseball is not the right slickness, it can be more challenging for a pitcher to control. Other factors also influence this, but the ball itself can play a major role in how effective a pitcher can be, something the reliever said himself.

Jansen said via Bleacher Report:

"It's embarrassing. It's been a while I've been playing in this league and, from the beginning of my career until now, it's getting worse."

He continued after saving the game against the Los Angeles Angels:

"It's been an issue the whole year. I've been talking to a lot of my teammates, and they feel the same way. First pitch, get out of my hand, I don't know where it's going. Second pitch, the same thing. Then, I tried to throw a ball down the middle, just keep going down. It's tough trying to make an adjustment and also you have the clock ticking."

Jansen admitted that he needs to play better, but also that playing in the cold windy weather with "pearls balls" that aren't rubbed well, it's hard to know where the pitch is going to end up.

---

Kenley Jansen wants better baseballs

The Boston Red Sox pitcher has said that he's not usually this erratic, and it causes stress and frustration on the mound. He has since resorted to throwing baseballs back that he doesn't like and waiting until he gets a good one to throw.

Kenley Jansen wants better baseballs

The status of the ball is always changing. From 2019 to 2024, there have been a number of reported changes to the ball MLB uses, and there have been even more rumored but unconfirmed changes as well.

Kenley Jansen is at least one pitcher who doesn't like whatever has been done to the most recent and current batch of baseballs that players are using.