Last night the Yankees got demolished by the Mariners, 10-1, but the only thing fans were talking about after the game was Yusei Kikuchi’s apparent use of pine tar during the game. Here’s a video of the pine tar under Kikuchi’s hat. pic.twitter.com/oFgT5700gR — Andrew (@Andrew_Rotondi) May 9, 2019 Pete first tweeted me around the sixth inning that he noticed Kikuchi’s hat had pine tar all over it. I had noticed he was frequently “adjusting” his cap, but had not noticed the substance to that point. I went back to Tauchman’s at bat and the camera caught an angle underneath Kikuchi’s hat that clearly showed the pine tar. Because the Yankees were getting dominated by Kikuchi — who allowed just 1 earned run over 7.2 innings and took a no-hitter into the 6th behind an array of off-speed crap — fans were calling for MLB to punish the Mariner’s lefty. Kay and O’Neill on YES mentioned the pine tar in the 8th inning, and Boone said after the game he was not made aware of it until the 8th inning as well. Let me first get this out of the way: The Yankees did not lose on Wednesday because Kikuchi was using pine tar. Jonathan Loaisiga couldn’t put hitters away and the garbage-end of the Yankees bullpen was forced to pitch too many innings. However, the pine tar clearly gave Kikuchi an advantage, because why else would he use it? So the question is: Should pine tar be allowed? What do the rules say? In the official MLB Rule book, the only direct mentions of pine tar are in Rule 5.04(b)(2), which applies to a player’s use of it in the batter’s box, and Rule 3.02(c), which states: “If pine tar extends past the 18-inch limitation (on the bat), then the umpire, on his own initiative or if alerted by the opposing team, shall order the batter to use a different bat.” Pine tar is never directly mentioned in reference to pitchers. Rules 6.02(b) to 6.02(c)(6) cover the many things pitchers cannot do, including the use of illegal substances. “The pitcher may not attach anything to either hand, any finger or either wrist (e.g. Band-Aid, tape, Super Glue, bracelet, etc.). The umpire shall determine if such attachment is indeed a foreign substance for the purpose of Rule 6.02(c)(7), but in no case may the pitcher be allowed to pitch with such an attachment to his hand, finger, or wrist.” TL;DR: Pine tar is considered one of the many many illegal substances that pitchers cannot use. Cat-and-mouse game We all remember the infamous Pineda pine tar incident vs Boston, which led to him being ejected from the game and suspended. Boone was in the @ESPN booth when Pineda got tossed for using pine tar. pic.twitter.com/zCyaTfzKGz — Scott Reinen (@ScottReinen) May 9, 2019 The whole discussion then was not if using pine tar is right or wrong, rather that Pineda was being too obvious about it. It was slathered on his neck screaming F— you, Boston!, which is why the Red Sox called him out. You may also remember the playoff game in 2006 in which Kenny Rogers outdueled Randy Johnson in a 6-0 win for Detroit. There were many shots of Rogers’ hand which showed a poop-colored substance on his palm. In both cases, it was up to the opposing team to notify the umpires who would then determine if the substance was illegal. Umpires are not going to take it upon themselves to regulate substances. I remember screaming at my television in October 2006 for Joe Torre to notify the umps, and I remember blaming Pineda — not the Red Sox — for being so damn obvious about his use of pine tar. The reality is many pitchers on all teams use something to get a better grip on the ball. If it isn’t pine tar, then it’s sunscreen in the hair or glue in the glove. Why else do you think Clay Buchholz looked like he just went swimming whenever he pitched in 40-degree weather? That is why we have a cat-and-mouse game between teams. If they call out an opposing pitcher for using a substance, then their pitcher might get called out the next game. There are some players who take the rules seriously. Just search “@BauerOutage; pine tar” on Twitter and you’ll see that Trevor Bauer has many, many opinions about the substance. He points out that it can make your stuff better and increase spin rate, which is a huge advantage for the pitcher. The counter-argument is that hitters want pitchers to have a better grip on the ball, especially in cold weather when they can lose a 97-mph fastball up-and-in. My opinion I fall on the side of Bauer. If pine tar can give you a big competitive advantage then it should continue to be disallowed. Pitchers have a rosin bag available to them which drys the hand to improve grip. For whatever reason MLB has deemed that substance legal and pine tar, sunscreen, glue, etc. illegal. As long as pine tar is illegal I don’t think pitchers should use it, but I understand they will still try to get away with it. Ultimately I put the onus on the opposing team, which on Wednesday was the Yankees, to do something about it. In the words of Ice-T, don’t hate the player, hate the game. Follow me on Twitter: @Andrew_Rotondi<doc-sep>A minor controversy brewed during Wednesday night’s game in the Bronx between the Mariners and Yankees. Mariners starter Yusei Kikuchi apparently was using pine tar he had slathered on the underside of the brim of his hat. The YES Network broadcast showed this close-up in the eighth inning: Kikuchi pitched well, bringing a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. He held the Yankees to a lone run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. Kikuchi’s offense with the pine tar is not in using it, but in not hiding his use of it well enough. Every team’s pitchers use pine tar to varying degrees, and hitters don’t mind that pitchers use it because it means the ball is less likely to slip out of their hands and sail towards their heads. The Yankees, in fact, don’t care that Kikuchi was apparently using pine tar. Per Newsday’s David Lennon, outfielder Cameron Maybin said of Kikuchi’s dominating performance, “I don’t think [pine tar] had anything to do with it.” Catcher Austin Romine said (presumably incredulously), “He had stuff on his hat?” In April 2014, then-Yankees starter Michael Pineda was famously caught using pine tar he had slathered on his neck. Major League Baseball suspended him 10 games. As Craig argued at the time, the whole zeitgeist around pine tar usage doesn’t make sense. Let’s just amend the rules to allow pitchers to use pine tar, then we don’t have to have this conversation every time it happens.<doc-sep>NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Yusei Kikuchi #18 of the Seattle Mariners pitches against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on May 08, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) Yusei Kikuchi has pitched a lot better for the Seattle Mariners of late. The reason for that could be under the brim of his hat. On Wednesday, Yusei Kikuchi was set to face one of the toughest opponents of his major league career. The Seattle Mariners were in the Bronx to face the New York Yankees, a team that has continued to win despite the many losses to their major league roster. Kikuchi made easy work of the Yankees lineup, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three over his 7.2 innings of work. As impressive as that outing was, it may be somewhat tainted. Screenshots from the Yankees broadcast show a substance under the brim of Kikuchi’s hat that is thought to be pine tar. YES cameras show pine tar on Kikuchi's hat. Personally, I don't mind that pitchers use it. But I know many of you do. So, here you go. pic.twitter.com/M18UH64fzD — Tom Hanslin (@TomHanslin) May 9, 2019 Kikuchi had a rough start to his major league career. Over his first six starts, spanning 32.2 innings, he had posted a 4.68 ERA and a 1.316 WHiP. He struck out 23 batters while allowing only eight walks, but also surrendered five home runs. While there was expected to be an adjustment period, the Mariners had to expect more from Kikuchi. However, over his last three outings, including his stint as an Opener, Kikuchi has been much better. He has allowed only two runs in his 15.2 innings on just six hits and two walks while striking out 15 batters. This is the pitcher that the Mariners were expecting – a strong top of the rotation arm that can shut down the opposition. Yet one has to wonder whether or not that success has come courtesy of any outside help. The balls may well be juiced, even if the league does not want to admit as such, but there is little available to help pitchers counteract that. The rosin bag is nice, but it is not quite enough. Nonetheless, using pine tar is considered cheating. This will make Kikuchi’s next start all the more fascinating to watch. He was going to his hat on virtually every pitch last night, which could be a part of why he has found success as of late. If that is truly the case, then one will have to assume that Kikuchi will be closely watched by the umpires in his next outing. Want your voice heard? Join the Call To The Pen team! Write for us! Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi shut down the New York Yankees on Wednesday. It turns out that he may have had some help.<doc-sep>
Gamesmanship is nothing new in baseball. Between batters trying to hit 98-mph pitches with movement and pitchers trying to retire batters who are hitting home runs at a historic rate, plenty of players will do what they can to gain an edge. Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi threw an absolute gem against the Yankees on Wednesday. The rookie from Japan went 7.2 innings of three-hit ball, and the Mariners won, 10-1. But baseball fans quickly took notice to Kikuchi’s hat. There appeared to be a foreign substance — likely pine tar — on the inside of his hat’s bill. Yet, the umpiring crew of Angel Hernandez, Ed Hickox, Carlos Torres, and Dana DeMuth didn’t take notice. Fans watching, however, did see the substance as Kikuchi went into the sixth inning without allowing a hit. YES cameras show pine tar on Kikuchi's hat. Personally, I don't mind that pitchers use it. But I know many of you do. So, here you go. pic.twitter.com/M18UH64fzD — Tom Hanslin (@TomHanslin) May 9, 2019 Here’s a video of the pine tar under Kikuchi’s hat. pic.twitter.com/oFgT5700gR — Andrew (@Andrew_Rotondi) May 9, 2019 Every pitcher uses pine tar but Yusei Kikuchi could not be more obvious about it pic.twitter.com/b6IBNvmEAv — 12up (@12upSport) May 9, 2019 A fan below the press box is shouting to home plate ump Angel Hernandez as loudly as his hoarse voice will let him that Hernandez should: "Check his [Kikuchi's] hat!" — Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) May 9, 2019 Per MLB rules, a pitcher is not allowed to have a foreign substance “on his person, or in his possession.” While pitchers commonly break this rule with pine tar, Kikuchi wasn’t exactly subtle about it on Wednesday. Still, the rule wasn’t enforced, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that the team would determine if they wanted to raise the issue with MLB. He told reporters via ESPN: “I heard they were talking about it, so I was made aware of it sometime, like, in the eighth inning there. So I’ll take a look at it, and we’ll kind of see what we can make of it.” When it comes to Kikuchi, this wouldn’t be an isolated violation. A foreign substance was visible on his cap during an April 26 start against the Rangers. He’ll have to be far more discreet about it going forward.