BatGate hits New York
Call it a batty bit of gamesmanship.
In a strange sequence Saturday, Akinori Iwamura and Alex Rodriguez had their bats confiscated by umpires during Tampa Bay’s game against the New York Yankees.
First, Yankees manager Joe Torre asked if Iwamura’s unusual model, featuring a flat end rather than a rounded one, was legal.
Not to be outdone, Devil Rays skipper Joe Maddon asked the umps to examine Rodriguez’s bat an inning later.
Both confiscated bats were sent to the commissioner’s office for inspection.
Iwamura has been using the same model all season. It was checked by umpires and deemed acceptable during a game at Arizona in June.
“It’s like if you took a saw and cut it off,” Torre said. “It’s got a point on it.”
Maddon said he was just retaliating.
“There’s nothing wrong with Alex Rodriguez. He’s a great player. It was tit-for-tat entirely,” Maddon said. “I said, ‘It’s an illegal bat.’ I said, ‘I can’t see inside it, but there might be something inside that bat. I don’t have X-ray vision. He’s got 45 home runs, it’s Sept. 1.’ That was my argument.”
Encarnacion sidelined
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion will miss the remainder of the season and his career is in jeopardy after sustaining multiple fractures of his left eye socket when struck by a foul ball Friday night.
The 31-year-old Encarnacion was hospitalized for continued observation, evaluation and treatment.
The team said in a statement he would be re-evaluated daily and that the long-term prognosis was “undetermined at this time.”
Encarnacion was struck while waiting in the on-deck circle in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds.
St. Louis has had a tough season, including the death of reliever Josh Hancock.
Around the majors
New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez, recovering from rotator cuff surgery, will make his first start of the season Monday at Cincinnati, foregoing one more minor league rehab start. … Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander David Wells dropped the appeal of his seven-game suspension he drew while with the rival San Diego Padres and began serving the punishment.