MLB

Soriano: All ballplayers use something to help with grip

In the wake of Michael Pineda’s apparent foolish decision to not conceal the pine tar he affixed to his throwing hand Thursday night, it appears to be no big deal for the players.

“I saw a lot of infielders use it on the outside of their gloves,’’ former infielder Alfonso Soriano said before the Yankees were edged by Boston, 4-2, Friday night at the Stadium. “It was for a better grip. I liked to spit into the hand to help the grip. Everybody uses something, it’s not cheating.’’

Infielders using pine tar to get a better grip on the ball is one thing, but catchers and third baseman have been known to put pine tar on the ball for the pitcher to work with, though technically it is against rule8.02 (b) in the official baseball rules. Wade Boggs had a reputation as a good dispenser.

Of course, hitters use it on the handle of the bat, and judging by the players’ reaction to Pineda clearly displaying some substance Thursday night, they don’t mind pitchers using it.

“I saw pitchers using [pine tar] and I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t like they were cheating,’’ Soriano said.


With lefty Jon Lester on the mound for the Red Sox, Joe Girardi elevated Derek Jeter from second to first in the order when Brett Gardner took a seat.

“We just kind of moved everybody up,’’ said Girardi, who batted Jacoby Ellsbury second after he hit third the previous five games. “We talked about leading Ells off but we just moved everybody up.’’

Jeter had an infield single, Ellsbury had a single and Soriano, who batted cleanup, went 2-for-4 and homered.


The Yankees will have a talent evaluator at Joel Hanrahan’s showcase next week. The 32-year old right-handed reliever had Tommy John surgery, a procedure on the flexor tendon and bone chips removed from the elbow May 16 after appearing in nine games for the Red Sox last season.

With the uncertainty in the Yankees’ bullpen and David Robertson on the disabled list, it’s worth looking at Hanrahan, who has appeared in 362 big league games in the past seven seasons. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder has 100 saves and a 3.85 career ERA. He pitched for Washington and Pittsburgh before the brief stay in Boston.


The Yankees’ infield has a career minor leaguer (Yangervis Solarte) at third base who waited eight years to get to the big leagues and a second baseman (Kelly Johnson) who was the starting third baseman at first with Mark Teixeira on the DL. Up the middle is a 39-year-old shortstop (Jeter) and a second baseman (Brian Roberts) who has been limited to 192 games in the past four years due to injuries.

With Robertson on the DL with a groin problem, Shawn Kelley, Adam Warren and David Phelps have been thrown into jobs they don’t have a lot of experience doing.

Still, Brian Cashman doesn’t second guess not making moves to bolster the infield as well as strengthening the bullpen.

“I don’t have any regrets. We’re hoping the infield and the bullpen would be unanswered questions that everybody would have to stay in tune with and be a developing story,’’ the general manager said Friday night. “We’re mixing and matching. The timing of Robbie’s injury was worst-case scenario because as you set sail [we] weren’t even able to settle into the anticipated roles that spring training auditioned for. But if we can get through the period where Robbie is down with success, we’ll be better off for it.’’


Cashman isn’t prepared to predict Teixeira and Robertson will be off the DL before April turns into May.

“Too early in the process to say that,’’ the GM said.

Teixeira is eligible to come off the DL April 20; Robertson April 22.

Girardi is confident Teixeira will be off the shelf before May 1.

“I am pretty sure we will get Tex back before that,’’ said Girardi, who isn’t expecting backup infielder Brendan Ryan back in the same time frame.

“He is going to take some time,’’ Girardi said of Ryan, who hasn’t played in a game since March 4 due to what was originally diagnosed as an oblique problem and then a disk issue in the neck. “He is still a ways away for me.’’


CC Sabathia’s nine strikeouts pushed his Yankees’ total to 1,017 and moved him past Roger Clemens into 11th place on the club’s all-time list.


When a lefty hitter doesn’t start against a lefty pitcher, a right-handed hitter usually is inserted into the lineup. However, when Girardi wanted to rest Gardner against Jon Lester, the manager went with left-handed hitting Ichiro Suzuki in left field.

Numbers might have played a part, since Gardner was 2-for-11 (.182) with three strikeouts against Lester and Ichiro was 15-for-48 (.313) versus Lester.

Ichiro went 2-for-4 overall and 2-for-3 against Lester. Gardner hit for the ice-cold Roberts in the ninth and whiffed to make the final out.

In four starts this season Ichiro is 8-for-17 (.471).