Call me naïve, but until recently I had no idea that pitchers in minor league and Major League Baseball were still doctoring the baseball to try to gain an advantage. I thought that practice went out a long time ago. However, there is some unspoken acceptance of using a small amount of pine tar to improve one’s grip on the ball, as long as it’s not copious amounts and noticeable.

The subject re-emerged when Tulsa Drillers pitcher, Michael Boyle, was ejected from a game against Springfield, on July 10. That happened to be the same day that former Major League pitcher Jim Bouton died. Bouton, the author of Ball Four, famously wrote his “diary” during the 1968 season, and it told about several pitchers in MLB who used Vaseline or sand paper to doctor the balls and make them move differently when thrown.

Boyle, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning during the Drillers’ home loss to Springfield, was warming up prior to the seventh inning when umpires Justin Robinson and Andy Stukel approached the mound and asked to inspect Boyle’s glove. They apparently didn’t like what they saw and Robinson, the crew chief, immediately indicated Boyle was ejected from the game and confiscated his glove.

Boyle appeared to argue his case, but the umpires must of have clearly seen something in order to take action.

The Drillers game story that night said, “the umpires apparently discovered pine tar. The glove was confiscated from Boyle and taken back to the locker room.”

I contacted Texas League president Tim Purpura to see if I can get clarification of what happened and if any action would be taken against Boyle, and he responded, “I generally don’t discuss league discipline.”

Which made me wonder why this incident and any discipline needs to be kept hush-hush. If this was a major league player, it would certainly be big news. I didn’t realize minor league baseball operated under the same cloak of secrecy as college athletics.

What we do know is that as of Sunday, Boyle had not pitched in any game since the night of his ejection.

The most recent case in MLB of a pitcher getting caught cheating was when Michael Pineda, pitching for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox, in April 2014. Boston manager John Ferrell mentioned to the umpires that Pineda wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding the fact that he had a large amount of pine tar on his neck. In fact, it was even visible on the television broadcast.

Pineda said at the time that he wasn’t trying to gain an advantage, but he was afraid the ball may slip and he might hit a batter.

“It was a really cold night, and in the first inning I [couldn’t] feel the ball,” Pineda was quoted in media sources. “I don’t want to like, hit anybody, so I decided to use it.”

“I fully respect that on a cold night you’re trying to get a grip, but when it’s that obvious something has got to be said,” Farrell said.

Following that game, Farrell did not lodge a complaint and the umpires did not punish Pineda any further. Many of the Red Sox players shrugged off the incident as common practice by major league pitchers in order to improve their grip on the baseball. This gives credence to the fact that it’s a known practice as long as you don’t make it obvious.

Using a foreign substance on the baseball is a violation of Major League Baseball rule 8.02. There is no mandatory suspension for the infraction at the major league level, but in the past, minor league baseball has imposed an automatic 10-day suspension, and maybe Boyle is currently serving that, quietly, without anyone knowing.

How does that make you feel? Does it make you respect the game and those that play it, knowing that cheating is acceptable?

Honestly, it has soured my opinion and I’m disappointed it isn’t being dealt with in a more stringent way. I suppose it has become the same as the prohibition against the use of tobacco in minor league baseball. Apparently, nobody is enforcing that rule either, but that’s a subject for another time.