Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda suspended 10 games
Mark Feinsand
New York Daily News Posted: Apr 24, 2014 3:07pm EDT
Updated: Apr 25, 2014 12:34am EDT |
BOSTON, MA (NY Daily News) - Michael Pineda's poor judgement has the Yankees in a sticky situation for the next 10 games. Major League Baseball suspended the right-hander Thursday for 10 games for “possessing a foreign substance” — pine tar on the right side of his neck, to be exact — during Wednesday night’s start against the Red Sox, an act that got him ejected with two out in the second inning.
“It’s appropriate and expected,” general manager Brian Cashman said of the penalty. “He made a mistake. When you make a mistake, you own up to it and you turn the page. I have full confidence he’ll do that.” Pineda’s next turn in the rotation falls on Monday’s Yankees off-day, so the team will have to find a fill-in starter for only one game during his suspension. But the Yanks are forced to play a man short for 10 games starting with Thursday night’s series finale against the Red Sox. Joe Girardi hinted that David Phelps could fill Pineda’s spot, which likely won’t come until the first few days in May. Alfredo Aceves, who is pitching at Triple-A, would be another potential option. “We’re going to move on,” Girardi said before Thursday’s game. “It’s yesterday’s story. We have a game to play and it’s obviously a big game. Both teams are trying to take a series here, it’s within the division, then we go home and we’ve got three against the Angels who are playing well, so it’s important that we move on, because the game of baseball does not stop. It’s an everyday sport, not a weekly sport.” TV cameras spotted Pineda with a substance on his hand during the early innings of his April 10 start against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, but Boston manager John Farrell said it was gone by the time he was alerted to the situation. On Wednesday night, Farrell was informed of the glob on Pineda’s neck after TV cameras showed it during the second inning, prompting the manager to ask home-plate umpire Gerry Davis to check the pitcher, who was promptly ejected after Davis found the pine tar. “I think John Farrell was put in a tough spot,” Girardi said. “He was put in a tough spot a couple of weeks ago. So I have no ill will towards John. If they feel it’s that obvious, I mean, they have to do something.” Farrell did not say whether he felt the penalty was fair or not. “When a player goes down that path, you’re assuming the potential consequence, and that’s what’s been handed down,” Farrell said. Pineda was apologetic for his mistake and accepted the suspension without appeal after being caught on Wednesday night. He reiterated that he was simply trying to get a grip on the ball during a cold, blustery night, but he understands that what he did is against the rules. “I feel so bad,” Pineda said. “I apologized to the teammates and everybody. I know I make a mistake. Now I learn from the mistake and put everything in the past now. “Now I don’t want to use it anymore. I don’t want to make a mistake anymore. I learn from this mistake. It happened, I don’t want it to happen again.” Cashman said he’s not worried about this having a long-term effect on Pineda, whose two-year Yankee tenure has included him showing up to his first camp out of shape, blowing out his shoulder and being arrested on DUI charges. “Like anything else, he’s taken responsibility. He knows what happened and what shouldn’t have happened,” Cashman said. “At the same time, he knows that every one of us went up to him and told him this will pass. He’s got a lot of people he can rely on.” Red Sox pitchers have been suspected of using foreign substances in the past, most recently Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester last season. Will this latest situation cause Girardi to keep a closer eye on his rivals’ pitchers? “I pay attention all the time,” Girardi said. “My thought process will not change.” As for the Yankees, they must now play with a 24-man roster as they return home for series with the Angels, Mariners and Rays. “We’re feeling it today, we felt it last night and we’ll feel it for a number of days,” Cashman said. “As a team, you’ve got to weather the storm. We have no choice. You’ve got to batten down the hatches, and these guys collectively will come together and find a way starting tonight, and if not, starting tomorrow. Hopefully 10 days will go quick.” Copyright 2014 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved. |