OT: Yankees' Michael Pineda ejected from game due to "foreign substance" on his neck

Submitted by Moleskyn on

Very interesting event in tonight's Red Sox/Yankees game, as Michael Pineda was ejected in the middle of an at-bat for having a "foreign substance" on his neck. 

A similar event happened with Pineda in a game between the two teams back in April, but he washed off whatever was on his hand before the umps took a look at him.

Per the ESPN article, the MLB rule is that players caught in this situation face a mandatory 10-game suspension.

I'm trying to remember who the last pitcher was that was caught using pine tar or something on a ball. Wasn't Schilling accused of doing that?

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hopkinsdrums

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^

This has happened a time or two in the past couple seasons...I think this one is just blown up due to Yankees-Sox. But obviously my answer is super specific about who they were.

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Prince Lover

April 24th, 2014 at 12:02 AM ^

But there was a case a year or two ago where, I want to say Davey Johnson, a coach or manager was hired by a rival team and the first time they faced each other the next year, the former coach/manager turned in his former player for foreign substance use. It was controversial because obviously the coach knew his former player used the stuff and broke the unwritten rule of ratting him out. Like I said, I'm not very specific either, but that may be the incident you were thinking of because it did cause some national rumblings. Or it wasn't and I just wasted everyone's time.

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MGoChippewa

April 24th, 2014 at 12:11 AM ^

Davey Johnson got Joel Peralta tossed from a game due to pine tar.  Peralta had pitched for Washington in 2010; when the Nationals played Tampa Bay in 2012, Johnson asked the umpires to inspect Peralta's glove, which had pine tar in it.  Obviously, Johnson had inside information because he had managed Peralta, so the whole thing set off a big tiff between Davey Johnson and Joe Maddon.

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Moleskyn

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^

When you say players, do you mean pitchers? Everybody knows that batters (legally) use pine tar. I highly doubt 80% of pitchers use it though, if that's what you meant. And how is it "targeting" the Yankees when it was so blatently obvious?

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freejs

April 23rd, 2014 at 11:57 PM ^

when it's cold as balls. 

Farrell said as much, and what he said was spot on. He knows pitchers need to use it, but dude, don't rub it in our faces. Farrell had no choice. 

I think the rule against it is stupid - pine tar for a pitcher doesn't doctor a ball, it just assists in gripping the ball - but the rules are what they are, and you can't be that stupid about it. 

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freejs

April 24th, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^

so the pitch moves differently, and just doing something that gives you a better grip. 

Farrell's comments completely reflect that there is this dichotomy, and that this falls on the side of just getting a better grip. 

If you look at the Joe Maddon - Davey Johnson thing, you'll see that a guy like Maddon could, with a straight face, say it was uncool for Johnson to mess with the game by targeting something that the unwritten rules of baseball say is totally acceptable. 

You just can't do something as unbelievably stupid as put the stuff on your neck so as to force the other team's hand. 

I think this one is pretty straightforward.

 

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WMUgoblue

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:35 PM ^

It's one thing to use it to get a better grip on the ball it's completely different if he's doctoring up the ball. The amount on his neck might point to the latter. We'll see soon what comes of this, but ya I agree pine tar is a common practice and this isn't an isolated incident.

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WMUgoblue

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:44 PM ^

Plenty of pitchers do it, you can put your head in the sand if you choose but there are plenty that use it but don't get caught. As pointed above the gambler used it in the WS back in 06, Joel Peralta got caught using it in his glove a few years back and now Pineda. Its more common than you think.

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Jobu

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^

Hate how the Yanks are always targeted. Who doesn't use Pine Star? Red Sox are vaginas. Let's not forget Selig only giving Braun 50 games for lying for a year and A Rod a whole season. Of course Seligs daughter owns the Brewers...

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mGrowOld

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^

Are you freaking serious?  The Yankees - who have won about 50% of all the World Series played since time began - have a player with what looks to be dog shit on his neck and you think they are targeted?  He couldn't have made it more obvious if he had a sign around his neck with an arrow on it pointing at the stuff.

 

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ESNY

April 24th, 2014 at 12:14 AM ^

Seriously? I'm a Yankee fan an Pineda is an idiot for doing it again in such a blatant way against the same team he was accused of using pine tar the previous time. At least try to be slick about it. Use your cap or your glove but not a blatantly obvious body part.

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LSAClassOf2000

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:26 PM ^

I couldn't find the specific tweet, but one sportswriter in the flurry of activity that came around at the time of this ejection posted the photo of the umpire taking a long look at Pineda's neck with a  caption to the effect of, "You see what happened was...I pooped on my neck." That seemed to sum it up nicely. The only thing that is left is for Pineda to streak through the Bronx smeared in pine tar. 

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WMUgoblue

April 23rd, 2014 at 10:32 PM ^

Well first off, Pineda is an idiot for doing it again such a short time after it gained national attention. That said did John Farrell forgot that Clay Bucholtz pitches for him? Things could get interesting if they get pinched for similar tactics.

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