Moments after Mariano Rivera closed out a 6-2 win over Baltimore last night Yankees catcher Russell Martin was shouting at Orioles second baseman Robert Andino, with both players needing to be held back as their teams left the field.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Martin and the Yankees believed Andino was signaling Rivera’s pitch locations to hitters while standing on second base, although everyone involved downplayed the incident afterward.
Joe Girardi dismissed it as merely “boys being boys” and Martin said: “I don’t remember what happened at the end there. A little yapping session towards the end. Nothing crazy.”
Andino declined to comment, but he might have something to say if the Yankees decide to retaliate with a plunking in today’s game. Asked if that was in the plans, Martin replied: “Maybe it’ll make it more exciting, I don’t know. I can’t predict the future. It’s fun. It’s baseball, there’s emotions flying and stuff. What else can I say?”
Hoch notes that this isn’t the first time Martin has been angry about alleged pitch tipping by an opponent, as he accused the Blue Jays of doing the same against Bartolo Colon last July. And of course it’s worth noting that base runners relay signs and pitch locations to hitters all the time, usually without incident. It would be interesting to know what Martin thinks of the whole practice when his teammates are the ones doing it.
