Cardinal fan asking "Does pine tar on a pitcher's hand really matter?" and is it actually illegal?

Question

I am just thinking about pitchers in the National League who do bat. Are they not allowed to have pine tar on their bats? Because if they do, then it would get all over their hands and it is hard to get off, so I'm sure they have gone out to the mound with some of it left on their hands. To me, I think the pine tar would act just like rosen which is legal. Also, a side note...I don't think Leyland would have let Rogers go out there if he had knowledge of any illegal substance on his hands because I think Leyland and LaRussa have enough respect for each other to prevent any cheating. Maybe I am naive, but I think these two men respect each other enough to want to see a fair series.
Last but not least...
The Cards clinch at home in Game 5 with Reyes as the winning pitcher and Wainwright on the mound at the end of the game.
GO CARDS!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

YES it does matter if you can grip the ball better your curve ball,slider breaks more, any foreign sub. is illegal, JIM L and TLR both have been in this game forever they know all the tricks and just turn the other cheek so to say.And if there player gets caught they act like they didnt know what was going on.Im with you CARDS in 5 they will be tough to beat if they win tonight.(I had predicted CARDS in 7 but you never know)

Answer 2

Anything on the baseball that can change how the air affects in when it is thrown is illegal. That said, pine tar is not illegal unless it is found to be intentionally used for this. Pitchers have scratched, scuffed and dug at balls. Or vaseline, pine tar, ben gay, these things can be used. Rosin bags are legal because they are a drying powder. It actually makes it more legal. Which is why it is stupid to use them. Even sweat can affect the ball or spit. Leyland probably didn't know. However, both of these guys are ego maniacs. Even though they are friends, they want to win and be known as the best a lot more than have a friend.

Answer 3

initially, i'm a Tiger fan. i think of that the Tigers will take the sequence in game 6. Now, directly to the project of Rogers. I watched the sport, seen the distinctive digital camera angles of the left hand, and that i agree that it particular regarded like pine tar. If it became certainly pine tar, than it extremely is cheating and the Tigers do no longer deserve the win final evening. i'm suprised that umps. did no longer take a greater useful seem at his hand. l. a. Russa ought to have made an argument out of it. If he became employing tar, than he ought to have been pulled from the sport.

Answer 4

Pine tar is indeed very sticky, but I do not believe Rogers was indeed attempting to cheat the other night. For those who claim that Rogers cheated that game are not true baseball fans nor do they know anything about baseball. Rogers claimed to have mud on his hand and agreed to wipe it off when the umpires simply asked him to.
If it was pine tar, most people believe is hard to take off, not at all. All you need is water and a towel. If Rogers washed the mud off in the first inning, how come he still dominated the rest of the game? (No offense)... Could it be because he is in a groove this postseason? How come nobody complains when a Yankees player throws postseason gems?

He wiped the "mud" of his hand when asked to. This would not have escalated had Rogers been ripped to shreads. Some people need to accept the fact that DETROIT BEAT THE YANKEES...THEY NEED TO STOP ACCUSING DETROIT OF CHEATING, because has anyone compared the muscle sizes of both teams? Do not even try to say those guys aren't still juicin...

Pine tar is illegal on the mound because it is a FOREIGN SUBSTANCE- long list of things from Jalapenos to Nail-filers; but Rogers claimed it was just mud...he wiped it off...As an umpire (high school), just let them play as long as they coorporate...

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Any foreign substance on a pitcher's hand, glove, hat, etc is illegal. It allows the ball to come off the pitchers hand differently. If it is sticky, as pine tar is, the pitcher can pull on the seams with more torque, changing how the ball moves. Pitchers also use spit and vasoline to reduce friction on the ball, also making it break more. So, from plain ol' spit to pine tar, it is clearly written in the rule book that it is cheating.....well, unless you get away with it!!

Answer 6

Who really cares anymore. It's over with now and the people who really mattered in this incident (the umps, players, and managers) are over it. If they really thought it was a big deal they would've done something about it! But the truth is this happens all the time and there's no need to go this in-depth about it. The Cardinal fans are the only ones still making such a big deal about this because they would've liked to see Rogers get thrown out so they wouldn't have to face his domination again!

Answer 7

Yes it does matter if tar is on a pitchers hand. Anything that gets on the ball will make the ball look like it is doing something different than it is. It can make it look like it is spinning differently and such. It makes it even harder for the batters to get a real sense of what the ball is doing. It is illegal to do this. But, it does happen a lot of the time.

Answer 8

WHAT ROGERS HAD ON HIS HAND WAS DEFINITELY PINE TAR, AND IT IS AGAINST THE RULES. PITCHERS WHO BAT AND USE PINE TAR DON'T GET IT ON THEIR HANDS BECAUSE THEY WEAR BATTING GLOVES.

VEGASBROT (ABOVE), YOU ARE DEAD WRONG. I HAVE PLAYED BASEBALL FOR 25 YEARS, AND UMPIRED AT ALL LEVELS FOR 10 YEARS. IT WAS PINE TAR, NOT MUD. AND YES, HE DID PITCH VERY WELL FOR THE REST OF THE GAME, BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE CHEATED. IF YOU HAVE TRULY EVER UMPIRED YOU WOULD KNOW THAT ANY FOREIGN SUBSTANCE ON A PITCHER'S HAND IS GROUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE EJECTION. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YANKEES FANS NOT WANTING TO ADMIT DETROIT IS BETTER, BUT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE RULES OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE PAST TIME. HE CHEATED AND THAT'S THAT.

Answer 9

Most (over 99%) players wear batting gloves...pine tar is a nasty sticky stuff that is tough to wash off.....hence the gloves.

Yes, the rules is EXPLICIT on what material is allowed and what is not for pictures. Pine tar is not on the list.....

Answer 10

Anything other than powder bag on your hands is considered illegal, purposely using pine tar would affect the pitch of the ball. One more perversion of America's favorite past time!