Astros catcher Martin Maldonado was using an illegal bat in Game 1 of the World Series
When Martin Maldonado walked up to the plate in the bottom of the second inning during Saturday night’s Game 2 of the World Series, the broadcast crew brought up an interesting piece of information about his bat selection.
According to the broadcast, Maldonado had to switch bats in Game 2 because the one he used in the first game of the World Series was illegal. Transcript of the video below.
LISTEN: Astros catcher Martin Maldonado uses illegal bat in Game 1
Originally tweeted by Follow Crossing Broad (@CBroadBurner) on October 30, 2022.
“Martin Maldonado is using a different bat today. He found out from MLB today the bat he used last night was not a legal bat. It was a model that he obtained from Albert Pujols. He used it because he thought it was very similar and size and weight to his own bat. The barrel was slightly bigger. He also thought it was a way to honor the Cardinals legend…but here’s the catch.
In 2010, Major League Baseball changed the bat specifications and the bat that Pujols modeled was no longer allowed, except if you were playing prior to 2010. So Albert Pujols could use that bat, but Maldonado, who started his career in 2011, was not allowed to use that bat. “
The grandfather rule has always been a weird concept to me, as we see it in hockey as well, with clear face shields across helmets. It’s tough to say if Maldonado knew this bat was illegal, considering Pujols sent him a bundle of bats ahead of the October classic.
Maldonado had a hit and an RBI in Game 1, but it ultimately wouldn’t matter, as a 10th-inning JT Realmuto homer powered the Phillies to a 6-5 win in extras. This hasn’t been the only case of cheating so far, as it appears that Astros Game 2 starter Framber Vasquez had a foreign substance on his wrist while he was on the mound on Saturday night.
The Phillies now head back to Philadelphia to take on the Astros in Games 3, 4, and 5 at Citizens Bank. Rob Thomson announced some changes to the starting rotation last night, including Noah Syndergaard, who is now set to take the hill in Game 3 on Monday night.
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