[ad_1]
Aces Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are among many well-known pitchers who have been implicated for using a grip-improving substance by former Angels clubhouse agent Bubba Harkins in a lawsuit against the team. and Major League Baseball accusing them of making him a scapegoat.
Harkins, who was sacked last March as the league began cracking down on the use of foreign substances, filed a text message from Cole as evidence “in opposition to a request to dismiss the original trial submitted by Harkins’ attorneys in August, “according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
Cole’s message to Harkins is from January 2019 and reads: “Hey Bubba, this is Gerrit Cole. I was wondering if you could help me with this sticky situation. [winky face emoji]. We don’t see you until May, but we have a few road games in April in cold places. The things I had last year seize up when it’s cold … “
Harkins was known in the league for providing pitchers with a grip-enhancing concoction (“out of courtesy”) that was made from a mixture of pine tar and rosin, a recipe he first learned from longtime angels, Troy Percival.
While substance use (including, but not limited to, pine tar and suntan lotion) has been a long accepted, if not technically legal, aspect of pitching, the MLB issued a memo in February 2020. rejecting the practice. Harkins’ lawsuit claims he did not receive the memo and therefore did not receive a proper warning prior to his dismissal. Pitchers have long argued that their use of a grip enhancing substance is, in part, a safety measure, with their improved control limiting the potential for erratic hitters or pitches.
Harkins’ lawsuit claims his dismissal left him unemployable and notes that no other person has been punished for similar reasons.
[ad_2]
Source link