Michael Pineda’s Sticky Situation

24 Apr, 2014

The pine tar glistened on Michael Pineda’s neck, improving his grip and inviting trouble.

He got both.

The Yankees’ right-hander spoke quietly after being ejected in the second inning of the Red Sox’ 5-1 win over New York on Wednesday night. And less than two weeks after appearing to get away with using a foreign substance in another game against Boston, he vowed never to do it again.

“I’ll learn from this mistake,” a contrite Pineda said. “It won’t happen again.”

Pineda said he had trouble gripping the ball on the cool evening when he allowed two runs in the first inning. So before he took the mound for the second, he said, he rubbed pine tar on the right side of his neck.

“I don’t feel the ball,” he said. “I don’t want to hit anybody.”

One small problem: Rule 8.02(b). Written to keep pitchers from altering the ball to gain an unfair advantage, it prohibits them from having a foreign substance on them or in their possession on the mound and says that they’ll be suspended if they do.

That suspension could be announced Thursday.

The pine tar appeared on his neck after a rough first inning in which he allowed four hits, including RBI singles by Dustin Pedroia and A.J. Pierzynski. He was much better in the second, striking out two batters. But when he got a 1-2 count on Grady Sizemore, Farrell came out of the dugout and asked Davis to check Pineda.

“When it’s that obvious, something has got to be said,” Farrell said. “Our awareness was heightened, given what we had seen in the past.”

AP

Image ESPN Screen Shot

Mentioned In This Post: