Kevin Millar Weighs in on Allegations Made Against Clay Buchholz, Says 'I'm on Eck's Side'

Come on. You already knew whose side Kevin Millar would be on, right?

Millar made his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni on Friday, and one of the topics discussed was the recent allegations against Clay Buchholz. Toronto broadcasters Dirk Hayhurst and Jack Morris accused Buchholz of doctoring the baseball during his start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, which prompted Dennis Eckersley to defend the Red Sox pitcher before and after Thursday’s game. Millar wasn’t shy about stating whose corner he’s in.

“Bottom line is that I am on Eck’s side,” Millar said. “I like Jack Morris, but the problem is we sit back here and are judging guys. You throw out a, ‘Is he cheating’ or something like that. That’s a tough thing to do unless you’ve got some facts. The bottom line is the rosin bag is there for a reason. Pitchers put it all over their hat. … It’s for the pitcher’s grip. When you’re out there with a full-on lather, they all have something. They all lick their fingers off the mound, they all do something, they go to their hair if there’s some gel in there, but it’s just for a grip. But I’ll tell you what, you can’t take away the credit that this kid’s doing right now. I’m on Eck’s side.”

Millar made it clear that everyone should focus on the job that Buchholz has done to begin the season, not some out-of-nowhere allegations. Buchholz ran his record to a perfect 6-0 record with Wednesday’s victory, and his ERA is a minuscule 1.01.

“There are guys that know how to use the baseball and pitch the baseball and throw at their spot, and what Buchholz is doing is awesome,” Millar said.

Millar also questioned the Blue Jays’ chemistry thus far, and that’s obviously something the former Red Sox first baseman knows plenty about.

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