ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka’s claim that the Rays move the pitching mound 6 inches closer to first base when right-hander James Shields starts at Tropicana Field found its way into the Phillies’ universe yesterday then to MLB offices.
Matsuzaka told a Japanese reporter that the rubber was moved based on what he saw when he faced Shields in Game 1 of the ALCS.
MLB measures each mound and checks the placement of the rubber before Games 1, 3 and 6 in the World Series. It admitted it knew about Matsuzaka’s claim but refused to comment.
Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called the claim “crazy” and “ridiculous.”