New York Mets star reliever Edwin Diaz’s ejection on “Sunday Evening Baseball” and pending suspension has put MLB pitchers’ utilization of “sticky stuff” again within the headlines.
Baltimore Orioles aid pitcher Danny Coulombe appeared on the “Foul Territory” podcast on Monday to debate the subject and mentioned that MLB must be clearer on what’s and is not allowed for hurlers.
“I’ve had a couple of guys, particularly younger guys, they arrive up they usually hit the rosin bag on a sizzling day when it is sweaty out and impulsively their fingers are just a little black they usually’re like ‘I am gonna get busted,'” the veteran lefty mentioned. “It penalizes your staff on such a excessive stage with shedding a roster spot and they also’re petrified of something like that. There’s an excessive amount of grey (space). There’s no one on our staff that is utilizing something, so it is like, they’re simply scared to get busted for simply having the stuff that is on the market. … It is simply onerous when it is a substance that is given to you, however you’ll be able to’t use an excessive amount of of it. It is simply such a grey space.”
Coulombe later admitted to having “used substances” up to now however added that he believed earlier than the league’s crackdown, the vast majority of pitchers have been as effectively.
“It is positively inflicting a paranoia,” the 34-year-old mentioned. “Earlier than the sticky checks, I used substances, and I might say about 80% of the league did. Making an attempt to determine learn how to throw with out it, after which, if you happen to get caught, you get busted for one thing that you simply’re not utilizing anymore, it is actually irritating. … For my part, I want that they had some form of standards they may do, however I simply do not know the way they may implement that.”
Throughout Monday’s version of his “Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney” podcast, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney mentioned that “of us round baseball” have been telling him ‘Look, everyone knows there are lots of of pitchers utilizing sticky stuff.'” That would appear to again up Coulombe’s phrases.
