The New York Yankees landed in a whole bunch of controversies during the past weekend. Multiple players were accused of practicing unfair means to gain an unsporting advantage over the opposition. Many big names were dragged into the controversy, including the Yankees captain, Aaron Judge. He was accused of cheating by stealing signs by the Tampa Bay Rays, but the latter failed to provide any substantial proof.
The pitchers were caught at the wrong end as well. Domingo German was ejected after multiple sticky substance checks. Umpires felt German’s hands were too sticky, which indicated that he was using something other than rosin. While the pitcher denied all the accusations, he had to face an ejection and a 10-day suspension for violation of the code of conduct. Just a couple of days later, his teammate, Clarke Schmidt, got checked for the same issue, which raised many questions about the integrity of the Yankees.
Yankees Order Pitchers, Coaches To Take Steps To Avoid Any Further Substance Check Situations
Rosin is a foreign substance baseball pitchers use to grip the ball. While it’s legal as per MLB rules, there still have to be certain limits to it. The rule has been under the scanner since its introduction as the umpires’ decisions with regard to the violations have been extremely subjective and dubious. The same discrepancy was seen over the weekend when two Yankees pitchers met with different fates over the same sticky substance check. While Domingo German was pulled up for excessive stickiness, his teammate, Clarke Schmidt, escaped ejection after a warning.
Now to curb this, the Yankees have taken some steps to ensure these situations do not arise again. As per manager Aaron Boone, the fellow pitchers in the bullpen and the pitching coach should conduct necessary checks before the starter makes his way to the mound. They should warn the pitcher if his hands feel a little too sticky. This way, the team can avoid embarrassment on the field. However, the team understands that it’s difficult to figure out the limit on the usage of rosin as it’s a subjective issue. Regardless, the team remains determined to try their best to avoid any future cases of substance checks.
Massive Showdown Over Sicky Substance Check Leads To Reds Manager’s Ejection
The umpires this season remain very strict on the manager’s unruly behavior and protests on the field. Yankees manager Aaron Boone, for example, faced ejection three times already this season. Before him, Cincinnati Reds manager Davis Bell faced ejection for protesting against the ruling on Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt. Schmidt underwent a sticky substance check, and the umpires asked him to wash his hands as a warning. Schmidt followed the order and received a green flag to resume his outing.
However, the Reds manager disagreed with the call and barged into the field to protest. He had a heated argument with the match officials, who tried to calm him down with a viable explanation. However, when things seemed out of control, the umpired had no choice but to eject Bell. This created a lit stir among MLB fans on social media, who questioned the efficacy of the sticky substance rule.
