DETROIT -- Tigers left-hander Kenny Rogers took the mound for the second inning of Game 2 of the World Series lacking something he had in the first inning -- an odd-looking smudge on the base of his left thumb.

 

While Rogers worked through a scoreless opening round, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard by stranding a couple of runners, FOX television cameras zoomed in on the inside of his left hand to show a rose-colored smear on his skin.

 

After the Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs off Jeff Weaver in the bottom of the first, Rogers returned to the mound without the curious smudge.

 

Apparently, some Cardinals players watching the game telecast in the warmth of Comerica Park's visitors clubhouse alerted St. Louis manager Tony La Russa.

 

La Russa in turn talked to home-plate umpire Alfonso Marquez to ask to have Rogers return to the mound with cleansed hands.

 

Whatever the substance, Rogers remained just as sharp without it. He worked a perfect top of the second, running his postseason scoreless streak to 17 innings.

 

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE MLB.COM

it sounds like they really wanted to make something out of nothing.

 

what the f*** could it have possibly been? steroid cream?

it sounds like they really wanted to make something out of nothing.

 

what the f*** could it have possibly been? steroid cream?

 

Are you serious?

 

Do you know what having some substances can do to the ball? Like pine tar, can make your curve bit so much more.

Considering he's thrown 8 scoreless, I don't think it's a big deal.

oh f***. i was picturing it on the outside of his thumb. like the top part. :confused

It doesn't matter. He did well enough without it.

He just went into the clubhouse still wearing his glove. Yanevaknow.....

You guys would be surprized how many pitchers cheat and dont get in trouble. I've been told by various players in baseball that are pitchers how they use it and how almost everyone on the staff uses it because its help them out that much.

 

Don't get your panties in a bundle if they do it because its just a part of the game

Don't get your panties in a bundle if they do it because its just a part of the game

Should steroids be a part of the game too then?

Don't get your panties in a bundle if they do it because its just a part of the game

Should steroids be a part of the game too then?

 

No it shouldnt be because its such a hazard to your health. If it werent such a hazard then I would have no problem with it at all.

Doctoring baseballs has been an unwritten accepted practice since the beginning of the game.

 

 

Even when there are written rules saying it is unacceptable?

I have nothing to say on this.. Palmero seems a little out there on tv now though? Rogers said it was a clump of dirt.. Ha.. Either way the man shut us down.. that's all that's to be said.. wether he shoulda or not been pitching after the first..

He did pretty well without it, no biggie.

I think he was trying to cheat, wether it affected his performance or not is a different story.

He's being pitching with it for the entire post season. The guy should have being thrown out. If using pine tar is an accepted part of the game, I'm sure is ok as long as you dont get caught, and he got caught. Thats not ok.

He's being pitching with it for the entire post season. The guy should have being thrown out. If using pine tar is an accepted part of the game, I'm sure is ok as long as you dont get caught, and he got caught. Thats not ok

 

And you know this how? I don't recall anything being spotted or brought up at all before tonight. He seemed to be pitching "decent" without it from the 2nd inning on so I don't think he needed it to cheat nor do I think he was trying to cheat.

 

The guy is on a roll, not every accomplishment in sports these days has to be considered cheating.

He did pretty well without it, no biggie.

 

Except for the fact if it was pine tar, he should have been booted and suspended for 10 games.

 

Whether he pitched well without it or not doesn't matter.

I really don't care either way, it is what it is (plenty of guys plenty constantly go to their cap brims...couldn't there be vasoline or some other clear substance there, too?) but it sure is interesting that as long as he was on camera in the dugout, the glove never came off, and usually that's the first thing to go when you get into the dugout.

 

Whatever though, seriously.

He's being pitching with it for the entire post season. The guy should have being thrown out. If using pine tar is an accepted part of the game, I'm sure is ok as long as you dont get caught, and he got caught. Thats not ok

 

And you know this how? I don't recall anything being spotted or brought up at all before tonight. He seemed to be pitching "decent" without it from the 2nd inning on so I don't think he needed it to cheat nor do I think he was trying to cheat.

 

The guy is on a roll, not every accomplishment in sports these days has to be considered cheating.

BBTN showed footage from the ALDS and ALCS where he had the same mysterious dirt spot. Unless this is some sort of superstision where he's not washing his left hand, he's cheating. The least he could do is put on his glove or cap, dont make it that obvious.

This is nothing more than Fox trying to make a big deal out of nothing

So what, he had a little dirt on his hands for an inning...who cares

By the way some are acting, you would think he rubbed vasoline all over the ball, and then stabbed it with a pocket knife...

how do you explain the other seven innings where he didn't have dirt on his hands? How do you explain that Tony La Russa never asked for an inspection or whined about it after the game (and when La Russa doesn't complain about something like that, you know the umps made the right decision)...he simply had the umpire have Rogers remove the dirt off his hands

Besides, what Fox did was dirty...even if Rogers was doctoring baseballs (which there was zero evidence of), it's up to the other team to catch him doing it...that's a part of the game. Even if he was doctoring baseballs, the right thing would have been for the umps to ignore it since the players found out because there were guys on the team watching the game in the clubhouse and Fox pointed it out

 

He's being pitching with it for the entire post season. The guy should have being thrown out. If using pine tar is an accepted part of the game, I'm sure is ok as long as you dont get caught, and he got caught. Thats not ok

 

And you know this how? I don't recall anything being spotted or brought up at all before tonight. He seemed to be pitching "decent" without it from the 2nd inning on so I don't think he needed it to cheat nor do I think he was trying to cheat.

 

The guy is on a roll, not every accomplishment in sports these days has to be considered cheating.

BBTN showed footage from the ALDS and ALCS where he had the same mysterious dirt spot. Unless this is some sort of superstision where he's not washing his left hand, he's cheating. The least he could do is put on his glove or cap, dont make it that obvious.

that's another thing in his defense...if he really was doing something dirty, would he make it that obvious?

Julian Tavarez and David Wells applaud The Gambler.

Other points:

 

- Pudge threw at least 10-12 balls out of play without the ump seeing them, including Spiezio's foul tip in the 6th where Pudge LEAPT from the box to keep the ump from picking it up.

 

- Rogers, when going to or leaving the mound, kept his glove pointing pocket-up as though there was something in it that might fall out.

 

- When shaking hands in the dugout after coming out of the game, he wouldn't take his glove off.

 

FWIW I dont care though.. on to Game 3

This is waht I thought of.

 

Do I think he intentionally tried to cheat? Yes. It probably happens quite a bit, and it didn't look like he needed the assistance that much, but I'm pretty certain he knew what he was doing.

 

 

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Kenny Rogers flirted with perfection for

seven innings before settling for the victory after Rafael

Palmeiro led off the ninth with a homer to lift the Texas

Rangers past the Cleveland Indians, 3-2.

 

Rogers (12-6), who fired a perfect game against the California

Angels in 1994, lost his perfect game and nearly the contest in

the eighth. No pitcher has ever tossed two perfect games.

 

"I was sitting there, pretty calm, trying to remember what I did

last time," Rogers said. "I tried to make pitches and get the

next guy out. I was saying that I wish I didn't know this was

going on."

 

Jim Thome led off the eighth inning with a walk before Milton

Bradley ripped a clean double into left field. Travis Fryman

struck out and Ricky Gutierrez doubled off the top of the

left field wall to score both runners and tie the game, 2-2.

 

"Coming into the (Thome) at-bat I wasn't going to change

anything," Rogers said. "I fell behind with two breaking

balls."

 

Rogers regrouped and induced Karim Garcia to pop out and Einar

Diaz grounded out to shortstop.

 

"It would have been outstanding, the way Kenny worked hard all

winter long. It was nice to get the win," Rangers manager Jerry

Narron said.

 

Palmeiro got Rogers the win by hitting the first pitch from Mark

Wohlers (1-2) over the fence in right field for his 30th homer.

 

"He deserved to win, that's as good as I've ever seen him pitch,

ever," Palmeiro said.

 

Palmeiro became the 10th player in major league history to hit

at least 30 home runs in eight consecutive seasons.

 

"I've been lucky to stay healthy and play every day and put up

numbers," Palmeiro said.

 

Francisco Cordero earned his fourth save with a perfect ninth.

 

Rogers was so good that the Rangers were convinced he had

illegal help. Cleveland manager Joel Skinner accused Rogers of

scuffing the baseball, prompting a trip to the mound in the

sixth by plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

 

"There were scuff marks in the same place. You look at enough

of them and you need to say something. All you can do is make

the umps aware," Skinner said. "Don't get me wrong, he was

throwing great, but we hadn't even sniffed them. We weren't

coming close."

 

Rogers claimed innocence, going so far as to turn his pockets

inside out.

 

"It's disappointing. They've kicked my butt many times and they

didn't check me then. ... I didn't appreciate it. I was the one

who pulled out my pockets," Rogers said.

 

"I know I wouldn't have done it to another guy, that's something

I wouldn't have done," Narron said. "He thought it was

necessary."

 

Rogers allowed two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

He improved to 8-2 on the road, where he has won his last six

decisions.

 

Texas jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Frank

Catalonotto stroked a leadoff single, stole his ninth base and

scored on Alex Rodriguez's single to left field.

 

The RBI was Rodriguez's major league-leading 97th.

 

Rodriguez scored the Rangers' second run in the sixth by

walking, stealing second and coming home on Palmeiro's 24th

double.

 

For Wohlers, it was the first homer allowed in 15 appearances,

spanning 17 innings.

 

"Mark's been pitching great, but in that role it happens,"

Skinner said.

Seems too suspicious. I don't know you guys. Should we be making a big deal out of this though?

Like he's the first guy to ever have the TP split. He must be a "folder." :mischief