Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda got caught with pine tar on his neck last night against the Red Sox and ex-pitchers are coming out of the woodwork defending Pineda saying that pitchers have always used one substance or another to help grip a baseball in cold weather. Ironically, last night Red Sox pitcher John Lackey is seen licking his hand rubbing his forearm and then rubbing up a baseball he was about to deliver, but he wasn't caught. Is it fair for pitchers to get away with rubbing foreign substances on any baseball before it's delivered? No, that's why Pineda was tossed once the umpire noticed that it was pine tar on his neck. There are rules against doctoring baseballs and Pineda broke it as did Lackey for all I know.
My issue is why is this not more looked after? Apparently there are pitchers all over the league putting stuff in places to help conceal the foreign substances that they're going to use when they're rubbing down a baseball. There has to be more oversight over this. A pitcher in the Astros bullpen was caught spraying his forearm with something before he went out onto the mound in a game earlier this season and no one bats an eye. Pitchers are cheating and apparently it's ok with MLB, the umpires, and even the opposing players because it's a wink wink secret because my pitcher is doing it too. Red Sox manager John Farrell didn't want to go and complain to the umpire, Red Sox and Yankee players were smirking about it and if it weren't because it was so obvious Pineda probably gets away with it... AGAIN, hopefully this opens Joe Torres' eyes and something happens to level the playing field.
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