[JEL]

Originally Posted by umpire12

they change them because the mark on the ball makes it easier for the batter to pick up the rotation of the ball not because they believe the ball has been defaced.occasionally after an infield hit, the pitcher will request a new ball because of a dirt mark on the ball but most of the time, after a pitch in the dirt, its the catcher who requests an inspection from the umpire not the batter. if the catcher thought he could give his pitcher an advantage by through a defaced ball , dont you think he would just return the marked ball to the pitcher?

So a "dirty ball" is not defaced?