Brushball

/ˈbrʌʃbɔːl/ noun

Definition

A baseball or other ball that has been deliberately roughed up or altered on the surface to make it harder to hit or easier to control.

Etymology

From 'brush' (to treat or alter a surface) plus 'ball.' The term emerged in baseball slang referring to tampering with equipment.

Kelly Says

Brushball is part of baseball's unspoken culture of cheating—players 'brush' baseballs to alter how they fly, existing in a gray zone between skill and fraud that leagues constantly try to regulate.

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