Tom Verducci Lets Us Know That The Astros' Martin Maldonado Used An Illegal Bat In Game 1....Hmmmmm

Oh boy, here we go again. Tom Verducci loves his little bits of information that he can sprinkle though the broadcast and tonight he brought us a JUICY one. He casually tells us that Martin Maldonado was gifted a bat by Albert Pujols and had been using it. Well turns out it is an illegal model. And it wasn't like they changed a rule last yea or in 2020 to make it illegal....it's been an illegal model since 2010! Albert was allowed to use the model because he was "grandfathered" in, and it makes sense because Pujols is a literal great grandfather. But Maldonado was casually using this bat in Game 1 of the World Series, and that bat helped give the Astros a 2-0 lead that they'd ultimately not hold onto. I don't consider this a big thing but boy oh boy is the bird website going wild with conspiracy theories. 

I play in a Sunday night slow pitch league (shout out Tater Town...YOUR 2022 Fall Champions), we get our bats checked every game. How did MLB or the umpires miss this? Kind of bizarre that they'd just flat out miss it and let him use it for a full game. Now he's back to using his old one but still, how? What is the punishment for something like this? It's not like it was a corked bat, was it heavier than allowed? Longer? Do you just toss the bat out? Should Maldonado not be allowed to play (he stinks so you'd want him in the lineup), I have no idea what should have been done. But naturally people are thawing the cheater label on the Astros and already demanding apologies and crying about it. Was it just a substance that broke easier? I remember back then people flipped out because one of the bats was shattering a lot easier than before, maybe that is why it was banned? Regardless, some players don't buy it.

I don't think it's a big deal but the torches and angry mobs are already out. Buckle up for another controversy.