Buchholz on Trial

Normally when someone follows up an accusation with “I can’t prove anything, I can’t prove anything,” it’s a sign that they should not be taken too seriously. Yet those charges hurled by former pitcher Jack Morris, the five-time All Star and partner of former minor league journeyman reliever Dirk Hayhurst in the Toronto Blue Jays’ broadcast booth, that Clay Buchholz is doctoring his pitches has gained significant traction.

Buchholz has gotten off to a scorching start, 6-0 in his first six starts thanks to a 1.01 ERA and 2.28 FIP. As recently as yesterday, his increased command was being cited for his excellent start, but Hayhurst and Morris have declared that it is not precision underlying his improvement, but baseball’s own pastime itself – cheating.

Here is the tweet that launched a thousand words:

Forget the hair, I just saw video of Buchholz loading the ball with some Eddie Harris worthy slick'em painted up his left forearm. Wow.
— Dirk Hayhurst (@TheGarfoose) May 2, 2013

 Let me just say that I am a Hayhurst fan – a Red Sox fan first and foremost, but a Hayhurst fan all the same. I read “Bullpen Gospels” and it is one of my favorite books. It says so in my profile. He is funny, witty and can write pretty damn well. I have every intention of reading “Out of My League,” in which Hayhurst details just how to doctor a pitch, “like Buchholz can load up baseballs,” he tweeted unabashedly.

Hayhurst is convinced that Buchholz truly is doctoring his pitches – evidence be damned! Morris backed up his partner’s allegations, telling ESPN the following:

I found out because the guys on the video camera showed it to me right after the game, I didn't see it during the game. They showed it to me and said, “What do you think of this?” and I said, “Well, he's throwing a spitter.“ ‘Cause that's what it is.

Buchholz denies it, of course. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe noted that nobody has checked any ball in Buchholz’s six starts this season.

The indictment stems from video the two radio announcers watched from the May 1^st matchup between the AL East rivals that shows Buchholz with a “glistening” left forearm, rubbing two fingers from his right hand on it.