Some pitchers will do anything to give themselves an edge over the opposition. Unfortunately, that includes questionable behaviors on the mound.
New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda had been accused of using a foreign substance, pine tar, to give him an unfair advantage over hitters for the opposition.
The Boston Red Sox were not amused when Pineda’s antics cost them during the previous meeting of the two teams.
While the Yankees weren’t exactly apologetic about the matter, The Red Sox had already decided that they would not suffer the consequences a second time.
During Wednesday’s game, Red Sox manager John Farrell asked an umpire to take a closer look at Pineda’s neck at the start of the second inning. Umpire Gerry Davis examined the pitcher closely and found that Pineda had coated the side of his neck with a “foreign substance”.
Michael Pineda, pine tar, again. pic.twitter.com/ftL0PPZmbY
— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) April 23, 2014
It was eventually confirmed to have been his trusty pine tar concoction. No one bought the “dirt” excuse when Pineda was previously questioned about using it before.
Having been absolutely busted during gameplay, there was nothing else for the umpire to do but to instruct Pineda to hit the bricks.
The use of pine tar violates an important Major League Baseball rule which states that “the pitcher shall not apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball.”
This rule says that a pitcher found to be in violation is subject to a suspension of ten games.
TV cameras showed pine tar below Pineda’s ear, and John Farrell asked an umpire to check it: http://t.co/7FZaWZ5d0q pic.twitter.com/t2iymj6MeF
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 24, 2014
The last time Pineda put one over on the Red Sox, it was widely blamed on pine tar. He was not punished at that time for the use of the substance.
As it turns out, it’s fairly common for pitchers to use certain substances to allow for better pitching success. It’s a rule that isn’t enforced often at all.
The Red Sox just weren’t interested in seeing their rivals get one over on them so blatantly and then defiantly brag about it in the media.
Here are photos of both of Michael Pineda's pine tar incidents. Very obvious in both pictures… pic.twitter.com/9wswAjJtuw
— Baseball Report (@NickHamelinMLB) April 24, 2014
Image via YouTube