New York Yankees Team News and Rumors: Michael Pineda Caught Using Pine Tar In 5-1 Loss To Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was tossed in the second inning of their 5-1 loss against the Boston Red Sox after being caught using pine tar on Wednesday night at the Fenway Park.
Pineda admitted to using the substance that is applied to have a better grip of the ball But he pointed out that he did not cheat, and he just wanted to make sure not to hit anyone with an errant throw.
"It was a really cold night, and in the first inning, I [couldn't] feel the ball," Pineda said, ESPN reported. "I don't want to like, hit anybody, so I decided to use it."
Red Sox manager John Farrell complained about a shiny portion on Pineda's neck, and the plate umpire and crew chief Gerry Davis immediately tossed the right-hander after checking the substance.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted that Pineda's action was a huge embarrassment to the organization. He said that he did not notice the pine tar on Pineda's neck but admitted that a person watching the game on television called him to inform about the suspicious shiny blotch.
"I think we're all embarrassed," Cashman said. "We as a group are embarrassed that this has taken place. I think Michael is embarrassed. It's just obviously a bad situation, and it clearly forced the opponents' hand to do something that I'm sure they didn't want to do but they had no choice but to do."
Cashman sounded like he was disappointed by the fact that no one noticed the foreign substance on Pineda's neck before the Red Sox spotted it, saying that Pineda should be held responsible for his action, but they also failed as an organization.
"We certainly are responsible, and there's certainly failure on our part as an organization as a whole that he took the field in the second inning with that on his neck," Cashman said. "He's responsible for his actions, but we failed as an organization for somehow him being in that position."
While there is no mandatory suspension for using foreign substance, Cashman and Yankees manager Joe Girardi expect that Pineda will be suspended, which would hurt their rotation further after losing Ivan Nova to an elbow injury earlier this week.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!