Baseballs are suddenly flying far at a time when a manufacturing error has left many of them with a yellow discoloration, but Major League Baseball doesn’t believe one has anything to do with the other.Although MLB on Tuesday acknowledged that game balls are performing differently of late, the league so far does not see a connection between the pigment mishap and a ball that, for the last month, has been livelier than it has been since 2019, a season in which home run records were shattered.The league said that “variation in performance” has led to a decrease in drag, which is a measure of how much a ball slows down in flight. Data shows the changes in drag, and the corresponding surge in batted ball distance, began around the start of June, and players say they have noticed that something is different.“The baseballs are doing some weird things,” Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal told The Athletic last week. “I don’t know if you guys are paying attention to that. They’re flying right now. Go look at the numbers and tell me that something’s not going on. There’s no coincidence.”MLB’s game balls are produced by Rawlings, a company the league partially owns, and the maker has run into various quality-control issues in recent years with a product that is handmade.“Rawlings and our scientists do not see any evidence to date that the yellow staining is related to this change in drag,” the league said in a statement Tuesday, in response to questions from The Athletic. “We will continue to monitor the performance of the baseball as the season progresses.”The Major League Baseball Players Association declined comment.Rawlings told MLB in early February that in about 50 percent of baseballs shipped for the 2026 regular season and spring training, “some excess oil from the yarn inside the baseball filtered through the leather cover of the ball, creating some yellow discoloration,” the league said in its statement.Both Rawlings and an MLB laboratory — which operates out of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell — tested the balls, which were found to be “within specifications and performed consistent with prior years,” the statement continued. In February, clubs were looped in, as was the MLBPA. Additionally, balls that show “cosmetic imperfections” are removed, the league said.“Rawlings has resolved the issue with the yarn supplier, but due to the necessary lead times associated with baseball production,” MLB added, “the balls without the staining will not be shipped to clubs until late in the 2026 season or early 2027.”