Blue Jays' broadcast catches Bryce Harper cheating in the Phillies dugout.
Photo credit: https://www.sportsnet.ca/
Toronto Blue Jays and Sportsnet broadcaster Joe Siddall noticed Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper conspicuously spraying the barrel of his bat in the dugout.
In case you don't already know baseball players use sticky spray to spray the handle of their bat for better grip which is totally legal and usually done on the field or on the on-deck circle.
Spraying it on the barrel of your bat is illegal which is why Bryce Harper did it in the dugout hoping that prying eyes wouldn't see.
Rule 1.10(c) of the Major League Baseball rule book clearly states:
A bat may not be covered by such a substance more than 18 inches from the tip of the handle.
Joe Siddall definitely knows the that this is illegal but sheepishly says:
"Hey can you do that? Can you spray that sticky stuff on your barrel? Hmmmm...Isn't there a rule that pine tire can only go so high on the bat. Remember the George Brett incident? I don't think you can put substances on the barrel of the bat."
As you can see and hear in the video below Bryce Harper doesn't just spray a little on the barrel, he coated the whole thing.
Fans on social media also noticed Harpers infraction and weren't pleased.
Blue Jays broadcast just caught the Phillies cheating.. Bryce Harper spraying pine tar on the barrel of the bat.
This isn't the first time Harper has been caught breaking this rule.
Back in 2012 during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins, Miami manager Ozzie Guillen verbally criticized Harper for allegedly having too much pine tar on his bat.
Ozzie felt it was an illegal use of pine tar, as the substance was pretty far up the handle of Harper's bat.
When Harper came to bat in the fourth inning, Guillen quickly emerged from the dugout to initiate another conversation with home plate umpire Marty Foster, presumably regarding the pine tar on Harper's bat.
Bryce looked at Guillen and held out his bat with two hands while standing in the batter's box, trying to show Guillen that he had replaced his bat and it was now in compliance with the rule.
Guillen seemingly ignored Harper while he was still talking to Foster, but once he returned to the dugout, he became incensed. Guillen immediately engaged in a shouting match with Nationals manager Davey Johnson and third base coach Bo Porter.
During this heated exchange, Guillen stepped down from his perch along the dugout rail to retrieve a baseball bat, which he used to mimic Harper's actions in an exaggerated fashion, with a mocking expression on his face.
Apparently, Guillen felt Harper's actions at the plate were disrespectful, and he let the entire Nationals dugout know about it.
Harper refused to engage with Guillen's comments, and the Nationals team responded by sending Guillen a bat "signed" by Harper and covered with pine tar as a humorous gesture.
Do you think its okay for players to spray pine tar on the barrel of the bat?
Tell us what you think in the poll below.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 5 | 348 ANSWERS Blue Jays' broadcast catches Bryce Harper cheating in the Phillies dugout. Do you think its okay for players to spray pine tar on the barrel of the bat? | ||
| Yes | 39 | 11.2 % |
| No | 309 | 88.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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