The New York Yankees were anxious for the icy chill of winter to fade and the warming embrace of spring to arrive so they could come alive again and begin the redemptive process. The promise of a new season in 2014 brought with it the hopes of erasing last year’s disappointing campaign, a season in which they failed to make the playoffs for just the second time in the past nineteen years. Toward this redemption, the Yankees made numerous acquisitions in the offseason, most notably the addition of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Brian Roberts. These newcomers would be added to a good mix of returning veterans, such as captain Derek Jeter and Mark Texeira, and young prospects, including Dellin Betances and Yangervis Solarte. This recipe of new and old ingredients proved to be a tasty dish, as the Yankees got off to a very hot start in the first month of the season and found themselves atop the American League East division. Effective starting pitching from each member of the Yankees rotation and a solid bullpen to “seal the deal” were the keys to success throughout April.

Perhaps the most talked about part of the young season was the controversy involving Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda and the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees versus the Red Sox is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. When these two teams are on the same field, they always make the game interesting as the bad blood boils. Pineda was the starting pitcher the night the incident occurred. In the first inning, Pineda was struggling with the control and velocity of his pitches. He walked multiple batters and got hit hard by the middle of Boston’s lineup. After surrendering an early lead, Pineda came out for the second inning with a substance on his right pitching hand. There seemed to be an unusual color on his hand and when the camera zoomed in, it was evident that it was pine tar. The use of any foreign substance, including pine tar, is an illegal advantage. Although the announcers and all the viewers at home could see the substance, the Red Sox team and the umpires just ignored it. If caught, Pineda would face severe consequences and a suspension. Since the Red Sox did not lodge a protest about Pineda’s use of pine tar during the course of the game, not only would he not be convicted, it appeared as if Pineda would get away with it and be emboldened to do it again.

At the conclusion of the game, all players are required to talk to the media, if requested. As you can imagine, there was a ton of press crowded around Pineda’s locker looking for answers. When asked about the substance that was on his hand during the game, Pineda responded that “it was just dirt.” This was an outrageous and absurd inaccuracy. Although it was not expected for Pineda to admit to having pine tar on his hand, everyone figured that he would have a better explanation than that. During the ensuing week, ESPN Sports Center and other sports broadcasting networks replayed the Pineda incident showing the pine tar issue over and over again. Finally, the media blitz of “Pine Tar” Pineda ceased and it appeared that he and the Yankees would regain focus and continue with their redemptive season. However, the hype was only getting started, as the incident would flare up again.

In a seemingly “déjà vu” moment a week later, the Yankees were playing the Red Sox again and Pineda was on the hill. With all the preceding media frenzy about foreign substances, the Red Sox and umpiring crew would be on alert for any sign of foul play. It was logically assumed that Pineda would have learned his lesson after nearly being caught, and would stay clean, especially for this start. However, when Pineda returned to the mound to begin the second inning, there was a noticeable line of dark color on the right side of his neck. In the middle of the inning, Red Sox manager John Farrell raced out of the dugout and requested that the home plate umpire inspect Pineda. After circling Pineda, the home plate umpire noticed something on Pineda’s neck. He rubbed his finger over it and determined it was pine tar. He immediately ejected Pineda from the game, with no argument from Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi or Pineda. The stadium roared as Red Sox fans shouted “words of disapproval” at Pineda on his walk to the clubhouse.

Pineda was dealt a ten game suspension, which removed him from at least two of his scheduled starts in the rotation. Since the incident occurred, baseball pundits and experts have had heated discussions about whether or not a player should be allowed to use pine tar, especially in the cold weather to facilitate gripping the baseball. The easy answer in absolutely not. For more than a century, the rule has been in place and should remain because it makes good sense. If the Pineda incident never happened, there would be no discussion about the practicality of the rule. An interesting point that was brought to light is the fact that many pitchers use the assistance of foreign substances but rarely get caught. Pitchers have been known to put it in their glove, under the brim of their hat, or on the belt buckle. In an era where the crackdown on players using performance-enhancing drugs has been so intense, there has been a lack of enforcement of other rules and inappropriate leniency. Baseball writer Craig Calcaterra stated, “Specifically, I don’t understand why, after a decade’s worth of hand-wringing over the moral depravity of rule-breakers, people are accepting of a situation where breaking the rules is totally fine as long as no one is being obvious about it and no one is doing things to cause it to make big, controversial news”. He makes a valid argument and points out a lack of focus that is jeopardizing the integrity of the game. The baseball hierarchy needs to take more effective precautions and increase the severity of punishment for those who break the rules.

The New York Yankees need to regain their focus on redeeming themselves for last season’s underachievement. They were off to a good start as spring unfolded. “Pine Tar” Pineda has created a distraction that will soon fade as the season swings into the heat of summer. Pineda has served his suspension but is on the disabled list trying to recover form a shoulder injury. When he returns to the team, he will hopefully have learned his lesson and stay “clean.” After all, this is a season of redemption for the Yankees, but first Michael Pineda must redeem himself.