BOSTON — There were no undergrounders, freeze balls or corkscrew pitches, so Dustin Pedroia doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.
Jon Lester was thrown under a microscope during and after Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday because Cardinals minor leaguer Tyler Melling suggested in a tweet that the lefty was using a foreign substance located inside of his glove. Lester said Thursday that the lime green substance was rosin, and Pedroia is standing by his pitcher.
“I don’t think so, no,” Pedroia said when asked if there’s any possible truth to Melling’s allegations. “[Lester has] thrown great all year. It was not like he was up there throwing balls that were moving 20 feet. He’s on his game, and that’s the way I saw it from second base.”
Lester undoubtedly brought his A-game in Game 1. He limited the Cardinals to five hits over 7 2/3 shutout innings while guiding the Red Sox to an 8-1 victory. And while Pedroia admits that he isn’t an expert in the art of pitching, he does know that rosin is a necessity for a sweaty mess like Lester.
“I played with Jon basically my whole professional career. He kind of sweats a lot, man,” Pedroia said. “I know he loads up with resin all over the place. I don’t even like going out there and telling him ‘good job,’ and patting him on the back because you get all wet and stuff. But I don’t know, pitching and stuff, that’s not my area, man.”
Blood, sweat and beards. It’s a perfect description of this year’s Red Sox team, and in Lester’s defense, no one ever outlined a specific order.
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