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Brian “Bubba” Harkins, former employee of the Los Angeles Angels, gives names. Harkins, who was sacked by the Angels last March, said in court documents Thursday that several Cy Young winners and All-Star pitchers had used illegal launching substance distributed by Harkins, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Harkins has named a number of former and current Angels players, “including Troy Percival, Brendan Donnelly, Tyler Chatwood, Kevin Jepsen and most recently Cam Bedrosian, Keynan Middleton, Yusmeiro Petit, Luke Bard, Matt Andriese, Dylan Peters , Jose Suarez and Dylan Bundy, ”according to the Times.
On top of that, Harkins said he had evidence suggesting that Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright, Corey Kluber and Felix Hernandez all used an illegal throwing substance to improve their grip on the ball. The evidence surrounding Cole is particularly damning, as a text message in which Cole identifies and asks Harkins to help him “in this sticky situation” was included in the evidence submitted Thursday.
Brian Harkins was fired by angels for distributing illegal substances
Harkins, 55, was sacked by the Angels last March after it was determined he was making and distributing illegal throwing substance to visiting players. Harkins was a member of the Angels for nearly four decades before being fired by the team.
In response, Harkins filed a libel suit against the Angels and the MLB in August. Harkins – who spoke to MLB lawyers in March as part of a foreign substances investigation – believes the Angels tried to protect their players and the league didn’t want to face another scandal in the wake of the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Because of this, Harkins believes he was fired so that he could be the “public scapegoat” for foreign substances.
Harkins’ attorney said he would seek at least $ 4 million if the case goes to trial. A judge is expected to make a ruling on whether the Harkins case can continue on January 21.
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