This 1915 Baseball Magazine article, “The Emery Ball Strangest of Freak Deliveries,” traces the development of the emery ball, in which the surface of the ball is scuffed, from the “spitballing” of Russel Ford which turned out to be something else entirely.
“Pitching the emery ball was not unlike handling a stick of dynamite. It was the best delivery in the world, and yet the pitcher never knew when the very excellence of the delivery might not work against him and throw away for him the game he was winning by his fine work in the box. I speedily discovered this deadly proclivity of the emery ball and guarded against it as much as possible. In fact, I made a scientific study of the ball and its freak moves, and as I was the only pitcher who even knew that it existed, I had the field to myself.”
Cy Falkenberg ends up spoiling the deal for everyone. It’s a fascinating contemporary article.
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