The unique properties of baseball's famed "magic" mud have never been scientifically quantified—until now. In a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering) and School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) reveal what makes the magic mud so special.

For more than 80 years, baseball has relied on a stash of special mud to take the shine off balls’ slick leather and give fielders a better grip. The substance is rubbed on every baseball before every major league game.

While it can’t be credited with winning the Los Angeles Dodgers their eighth World Series championship, baseball’s “magic mud” is the stuff of lore. Each Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s equipment manager applies it to every game ball. It improves the grip on the ball, can dull the shine on a new ball, and keep it from getting damaged.

For decades, all the balls used in Major League Baseball have been coated with mud harvested from a secret spot along a Delaware River tributary in New Jersey. Only a few people knew of the exact location and until recently,

A fascinating new study has revealed the mysterious science behind Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, a specialized substance applied to Major League Baseball (MLB) baseballs to make them easier to grip.

Scientists unveil the long-mysterious qualities of baseball’s “magic” mud, which every MLB team uses on game balls. The unique properties of baseball’s famed “magic” mud have never been scientifically quantified — until now.