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Object

baseball rubbing mud

A baseball rests on a mound of fine, clay-like mud, with red stitching visible against the white leather surface.

A fine, clay-like mud harvested from a secret location along the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. Since the 1930s, it has been used by every Major League Baseball team to rub down new baseballs, removing the slick factory gloss and providing pitchers with a consistent grip without damaging the leather.

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