If the definition of cheating in baseball is violating the rules, MLB’s scorecard on the Yankees this week reads like this:
Aaron Judge: not cheating.
Domingo German: cheating.
In the aftermath of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, MLB is continually sharpening its rules and hiring people to defend against the baseball tradition of players and teams trying to get away with as much of the dark arts as they can. For instance, after Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was busted for violating the rule against sticky substances—and claimed when he was checked before an inning that the substance was only “rosin and sweat”—MLB sent a memo to all clubs on April 26 to close the “dugout rosin” loophole.
