Is Michael Pineda cheating?

[Guest]

[Kuzzy Powers]

[Slateman]

Totally looks like dirt

[PP]

All pitchers do weird shit like this but he can't be so blatant about it.

[DJ Rhude]

[MVPete]

Maybe John Farrell didn't want to get labeled as a racist for telling the umps Pineda had black stuff on his hand.


He's looked great so far, now we have to see how he does if he can't figure out a good way to continue using this substance. I'm sure someone who has been around the block before will pull him aside and let him know a better way to hide it than putting it on your pitching hand.

[EmpireWF]

No, it's not cheating. Otherwise, someone would have called him out for it.

[NAHSTE]

Yes. Probably should dial it down a bit.

[Guest]

During Thursday night's win over the Red Sox, Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda sure had what looked like a foreign substance on his right palm during his start. Given the color, everyone assumed it was pine tar. The Red Sox and the umpires never raised an issue about the alleged foreign substance.

On Friday, Major League Baseball executive vice president Joe Torre told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the league has no plans to suspend Pineda:

"The umpires did not observe an application of a foreign substance during the game and the issue was not raised by the Red Sox. Given those circumstances, there are no plans to issue a suspension, but we intend to talk to the Yankees regarding what occurred."
Pineda, 25, allowed one run in six innings, striking out seven. Replays during the various television broadcasts showed the substance on Pineda's hand in the first through fourth innings, but not in the fifth or sixth.

The Red Sox likely did not point out the substance for two reasons. One, both Clay Buchholz (sunscreen) and Jon Lester (green goo) allegedly used a foreign substance last season. Two, it is one of baseball's open secrets that most pitchers use some kind of substance to improve their grip, so the unwritten rule is to not call anyone out unless you want your pitchers called out as well.

Pineda, who claimed the substance was dirt, probably used pine tar or something else against the rules to get a better grip on Thursday night, like many pitchers. The problem was that it was way too obvious.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...e-tar-incident

#Inb4Torrehasayankeesbias

[mcstl25]

I don't understand why pine tar on the hand of a pitcher is such a big deal. If I'm a hitter, I WANT the pitcher to have a better grip on the ball. Slick fingers can lead to a batter taking one in the ear hole.

I understand that pine tar is considered a foreign substance (illegal) and the argument that excessive pine tar on a baseball could cause the impact the movement of a baseball, but balls are changed out so frequently I don't think it matters.