The baseballs used during the World Series are slicker than the ones used during the regular season, pitchers and coaches from the Dodgers and Astros said Saturday night. The difference, they told Sports Illustrated, is in the grain of the leather, making it particularly difficult to throw a good slider.

"We had a well-pitched game [Saturday night] from both sides," Astros pitching coach Brent Strom told SI, after losing to the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4. "Why in the world would the baseballs in the World Series be different? Because you can see the difference. You can feel it. I don't understand it at all."