Framber Valdez denies using sticky stuff in Game 2
Videos of Framber Valdez’s start in Race 2 of the World Series showed him rubbing his hands and grabbing his glove in one spot, but both the pitcher and the catcher denied anything unpleasant afterward. Houston’s 5-2 win on Saturday night.
“I think no one should think of it as wrong,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “I do it outdoors. But these are all trends that I do. I do this throughout the game. Maybe distract the hitter a bit from what I’m doing. Like, maybe, watch me rub different things and nothing on the pitch I’m about to throw. I’ve been doing it all season. “
The videos created a stir on social media and caused one to wonder if Valdez used sticky stuff during his superb outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. Receiver Martín Maldonado denied that Valdez used substances on Saturday.
“In the playoffs, they will always try to look for (something),” Maldonado said. “There are only two teams playing”.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said his bench noticed excessive Valdez rubbing both early on Saturday and early that Valdez had against them in the last game of the regular season.
“It’s all on Twitter,” Thomson said on Saturday. “The umpires check on these guys after almost every inning and if something is going on, MLB will take care of it.”
Major League Baseball cracked down on pitchers using sticky stuff last season and now checks pitchers with their bare hands between innings for foreign substances.
Valdez passed all three substance checks during Saturday’s match, but still behaved in a way that sparked some speculation. Spin speeds on all of his courts had increased by at least 56 revolutions per minute, but Valdez has also thrown his entire arsenal stronger than at any time this season.
Valdez’s ballast, for example, averaged 95.6 mph on Saturday after 93.9 mph during the regular season. The field had an average rotational speed of 2,259 revolutions per minute on Saturday compared to 2,203 revolutions per minute in the regular season.
Videos circulating on social media showed Valdez rubbing his palm or a specific spot on the glove during various game interruptions.
“(They are) just tendencies that Dominicans do just to be able to stay loose,” Valdez said. “Only trends. The important thing is obviously to win. And we’re winning, obviously winning legally. But yeah, just random trends.
Valdez also changed his gloves and cleats on his departure, but he attributed the wardrobe change to a Dominican tradition and nothing else.
“Normally I have different peaks when I warm up and the ones I put into play. Today I decided to start the game with the ones I warmed up to, “Valdez said. I had a long inning there (in the first one) and I was like, ‘You know what, I’ll change everything.’ “
“I’m going to change my glove, my belt, my shoes. And these are just things we Dominicans do, just a few trends here and there. I mentioned the mechanics I think about at one point, but only things to keep at bay.
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