MLB News: Carlos Rodón Blasts MLB For Punishing Pitchers And Not the Cheating Astros
The foreign substance issue is going to be highly debated over the next couple of months. With the sudden crackdown by MLB on the growing problem coming to a head this week, players have responded in different ways. Some seem unbothered while others have been very vocal with how the whole thing has played out.
We’ve already seen the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow blast MLB for rolling the change out without warning. Glasnow suffered a tear in his UCL that could very well end his season, and he believes the foreign substance change played a role.
Now we get to hear another view from White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón. In an interview on Tuesday just after the news of the memo broke out, Rodón went after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. He took a different route though, comparing it to how he handled the Astros cheating scandal.
It’s hard to see this when you’re giving out 10-game suspensions for cheating but you give the Astros no suspensions at all. So if Rob Manfred can look at himself in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, I’m doing the right thing,’ that’s fine. You can’t suspend the team you actually knew was cheating during a playoff game, that’s on you.
He’s got a point that very few across MLB would argue with, aside from the Astros. Houston received at worst a slap on the wrist for a scandal that resulted in them winning the 2017 World Series. There were obviously suspensions that led to firings, but not much more than that.
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The biggest complaint so far seems to be the way the new rules were ruled out. MLB might be in some trouble, and it does NOT bode well for the upcoming labor negotiations. Hold on tight baseball fans, it could get very bumpy.
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If MLB is concerned about the lack of offence, instead of banning pitchers using substances to maintain their grip, it should go to the electronic strike zone. Today’s umps (probably those of prior years, too) are really bad and inconsistent with their calls. Each ump seems to have his own version of the strike zone. If batters could count on the consistency that an electronic strike zone would provide, the current offence statistics would improve substantially.
The technology of the electronic strike zone allows the fans watching the game to see accurate strikes and balls, and identify 10-20 pitches a game called incorrectly, often directly affecting the outcome of the game. How the league finds this embarrassment acceptable is beyond my comprehension. The game has essentially become unfair. Hitters with great batting eyes, like Muncy and Smith, are continuously getting screwed by balls that are called strikes.
Hard to argue with that one.
Will Smith is the last at bat in an inning. He goes to catch and throws the ball to the pitcher with pine tar still on his hand from batting. The umpire later checks the ball and the pitcher gets a 10 game suspension, and the team goes without him, and can’t replace him. The umpires aren’t really trained how determine what is legal or not.
The Astros cheated for years and even cheated their way to a World Series ring and had no consequences. Bonds used “peds” yet he still is in the record books, etc. So if you are going to enforce pitchers using substances, then let’s make the “clean up” for EVERYONE!!!
I don’t want a guy throwing 90-100 MPH that cannot grip the ball throwing in my direction. This is a SAFETY issue. The Astros cheating was awful. Manfred is a screwup. Vacate the 2017 World Series Championship, let the pitchers grip the ball, and no one gets hurt. Baseball needs more common sense and integrity!!!
Having been fortunate to attend the 2017 and 2018 World Series games with my Mom, (keeping score for all the games), I was talking to Mom and told her how unfair the new pitching rule, (suspension rule), was on the pitchers, and how the astros, (don’t deserve a capital a), did not even get a “Slap on the wrist”. Thanks Carlos for backing me up on this one. Can’t wait to read her what you had to say, as well!!
I never thought Selig would be challenged for worse MLB Commissioner ever. But Manfred takes the cake!!!