There were 2,243 incidences of broken bats in a three month time period last season resulting in injury risk to participants and spectators. Maple bats were three times as likely to break in multiple pieces as ash bats. Starting in 2009, all bats must be certified by MLB and the manufacturers will be held to higher standards.
The bat fractures are caused by certain grain slope patterns in the wood.
All bat manufacturers will be required to pay an administrative fee of $10,000 to conduct further research and they will also be required in increase their Product Liability limits from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000.