Comments on: Russell Martin and Robert Andino have postgame shouting match over tipping Mariano Rivera’s pitches

By: fdugrad

fdugrad — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:45:36 +0000

Tipping pitches in pro baseball?! I’m shocked, SHOCKED that there is TIPPING going on here!! What exactly is WITH Martin?! Next he will be accusing some players of using PED’s over the last ten or twenty years. SHEEZ!!

By: wingsrule12

wingsrule12 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:25:47 +0000

Tipping pitches. Hell in high school I would steal signs and call pitch outs. It’s part of the game and Martin needs to shut his bitch a$$ up and play baseball.

By: thebigcaptain2011

thebigcaptain2011 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:37:30 +0000

I’m tired of guys being held back. If they want to fight, let them fight. They are grown men, world class athletes and they have a problem they want to resolve. LET THEM FIGHT!
In all seriousness, this kind of thing goes on all of the time. Let’s move on….and I’m a Yankees fan saying that. This is not a big deal.Mariano can walk to my house, ring the doorbell and tell me what pitch he was about to throw and where and I still wouldn’t be able to hit it.

By: Loose Changeup

Loose Changeup — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:52:28 +0000

Those pitches were middle out, 4-6″ outside, which has nothing to do with batter height, and they were cutters without enough break to have gone through the strike zone.

By: basedrum777

basedrum777 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:32:48 +0000

The question I have to pose is just would the O’s fans rather they just handle it like a normal situation and put one in his earhole or to say something to him first? I would guess the latter. No big deal. Andino overreacted.

By: djpostl

djpostl — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:14:34 +0000

Hence the “cheating” as opposed to plain ol’ cheating. It is “frowned upon” is probably a better way to phrase it though. Pitchers do not like ti and I have zero problem with them putting one in your ribcage for it.

Be more subtle Rob, goes a long way.

By: djpostl

djpostl — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:12:50 +0000

Actually, it’s pretty much an unwritten rule that you do it at your own risk. He can do it, but he can also eat a ball in the ribs for it.

By: sabatimus

sabatimus — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:03:43 +0000

Um, so what? Sign stealing happens ALL the time, and has happened for DECADES. This story appears to be more about two guys getting their panties bunched up.

By: psousa1

psousa1 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:13:48 +0000

Watching Red Sox – Blue Jays last night and the Boston catchers are going through a series of signs with nobody on base. I assume there is a rumored sign stealer in Toronto. Even if there is not it is a helluva psychological advantage.

By: basedrum777

basedrum777 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:21:43 +0000

Those charts never show the true impact of a pitch which crosses the plate at the front and tails off over the distance of the plate. Addtionally they dont take into account the height of the batter which obviously affects their strikezone.

By: amaninwhite

amaninwhite — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:51:49 +0000

Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

By: poprox13

poprox13 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:46:39 +0000

Russell Martin is a whiny punk.

By: Loose Changeup

Loose Changeup — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:35:50 +0000

Here’s a link to the pitchfx for Markakis’ “strikeout” (I hope this works)
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?s_type=3&sp_type=1&batterX=70&inning1=y&inning2=y&inning3=y&inning4=y&inning5=y&inning6=y&inning7=y&inning8=y&inning9=y&month=04&day=09&game=gid_2012_04_09_nyamlb_balmlb_1%2F&year=2012&pitchSel=502085&prevGame=gid_2012_04_09_nyamlb_balmlb_1%2F

By: pharmerbrown

pharmerbrown — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:12:58 +0000

I always thought that pitch tipping was something pitchers do, by holding the ball in a different part of the glove, pointing a toe toward third instead of toward first, things like that. Like Pedro right before he retired… you could see the change-up coming because he opened his glove way wider to get his fingers around it. Watch Darren Oliver of the Rangers (formerly) clutch every pitch like it is his splitter/ fork ball when he brings the ball to the glove, but change his grip after the sign is received. Why? Because it would be obvious when we was loading up a fork, hence the pitch would be “tipped” off to the batter. What Andino is accused of is sign stealing. Seemed to be a normal part of the game until recently; one that was kept in check with the occassinal plunking. Obviously that had changed as plunkings are now overscrutinized as any other aspect of the game.

If the pitcher is going to get warned, ejected, suspended, or fined for retaliating to sign stealing, and the league will not take action against sign stealers, it makes for a slightly hypocritical position.

By: lardin

lardin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:48:48 +0000

I have no problem with Sign stealing or pitch tipping by the 25 guys in uniform, its part of the game. Its also part of the game that if/when they get caught, they leave the batters box with stitch marks on their ribs..

By: mybrunoblog

mybrunoblog — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:28:56 +0000

Robert Andino?? Um huh? Hey Andino, RIvera is a LEGEND. You are a footnote to a footnote of baseball history. STFU and go away quietly….Maybe If your lucky RIvera will sign a ball for you someday.

By: Paul White

Paul White — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:25:26 +0000

I’ve always found it odd that teams take such great offense when signs are stolen or pitches are tipped. Look, clearly you understand that runners on second base are trying to figure out what pitch is coming, otherwise YOU WOULDN’T USE SIGNS. So when those runners actually do the thing that you knew all along they were doing when you developed your intricate sign sequences, what’s the problem?

By: brian32556

brian32556 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:19:40 +0000

Looked more like Andino behaving “like a little bitch” as Martin just smiled at him and said come and get it.

By: brian32556

brian32556 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:17:30 +0000

@fellspointbird
Obviously you are not familiar with David Robertson. Its why they call him Houdini – he tends to ‘apparently’ get himself into trouble and then pitches out of it. He did over the weekend in Tampa and literally dozens of times last year. You may think you’re grinding him down…and then he strikes out the side. That’s why he was an all-star last year.

By: hammyofdoom

hammyofdoom — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:09:45 +0000

Not saying its fair, but if you look down at the glove or signals you WILL get drilled. I’ve heard stories of players looking down, or trying to, only to have the catcher look them dead in the eye and say something along the lines of “If you want a REAL good look at the pitch, I can help you with that”

By: fellspointbird

fellspointbird — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:58:25 +0000

Nicky Wheels walked twice in that AB & ended up w a strike-out. Really changed that 8th inning too, as the O’s really grinded down Robertson (did he throw 30+ pitches?).

I just wish that Showalter had given the ump more hell for that.

By: brokea$$lovesmesomeme

brokea$$lovesmesomeme — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:56:48 +0000

Testosterone induced posturing, everyone does it.

By: dowhatifeellike

dowhatifeellike — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:54:37 +0000

I could see getting upset if it was a close game, but this was in the bottom of the 9th and NY was up 6-2.

If I’m down 4 in the last inning, you bet your arse I’m doing everything I can to upset the apple cart.

By: amskollar

amskollar — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:51:18 +0000

If it was Arod tipping the pitches everyone would be all over him for it. If any other team reacted how Martin and the Yankees did most of you either wouldn’t care or would support the pitcher/catcher, but because it’s the Yankees they are automatically in the wrong.

By: rooney24

rooney24 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:49:34 +0000

The thing is, it isn’t cheating. The batter can look where the catcher is. The batter can even look at the sign for the pitch. That is why the catchers use the glove and their bodies to shield the info. It is only cheating if someone outside of the players on the field are stealing the signs, or if they are using technology to steal or relay the signs.

By: danielcp0303

danielcp0303 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:48:29 +0000

I wouldn’t even try and hide the fact I’m trying to tip pitches. I would stand there on second and yell the pitch and location if I could. Nothing wrong with it

By: bravojawja

bravojawja — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:29:03 +0000

I guess Martin just uses the same signs when there’s a runner on second as when the bases are empty. He’s an awfully trusting fellow.

By: daisycutter1

daisycutter1 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:22:23 +0000

Settle down, big fella.

Girardi doesn’t have opposing players hit for stuff like this. He’s not Joe Torre, who wouldn’t even have his pitchers retaliate when his own batters were repeatedly used for target practice, but I can’t see him calling for or even allowing Andino to be hit intentionally over something every team, including his own, does.

By: sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo

sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:20:41 +0000

This is one of those things like a batter glancing back to see where the catcher sets up, or even the signs between a pitcher and a catcher: you can do what you want but make sure the other team doesn’t know about it. Martin could try setting up later, and Andino needs to be a little bit more subtle about his relay codes.

By: ptfu

ptfu — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:17:59 +0000

Wait, this is Robert Andino, the guy who ended the Red Sox season last year. And that doesn’t get him off the hook with the Yankees, at least once?