Pine tar spat: Nationals’ Johnson tells Rays’ Maddon to ‘read the rulebook’; Maddon responds

CP19019159
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, right, talks with the umpires after relief pitcher Joel Peralta was ejected after umpires found a foreign substance on his glove, during the eighth inning of the Rays\' baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, in Washington. The Rays won 5-4. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON – Davey Johnson says Joe Maddon should “read the rulebook.” Maddon says the rulebook shouldn’t always rule in the “self-policing” world of major league baseball.

The managers of the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays still didn’t see eye-to-eye Wednesday about Johnson’s decision to challenge Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta’s glove in Washington’s 5-4 loss the night before.

The umpires found pine tar on Peralta’s glove. He was ejected from the game and expects to be suspended by Major League Baseball.

Peralta used to play for the Nationals, and Maddon doesn’t like the fact that Johnson used “insider information” to get the pitcher ejected.

Maddon said baseball players police themselves and have essentially decided that using pine tar is OK, even if it’s officially cheating.

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Abbey Westbury

Related Articles