The Houston Astros were mounting a late comeback against the New York Yankees on Thursday night when an unusual incident added to the ongoing rivalry between the two teams. In the ninth inning, after Victor Caratini singled and Taylor Trammell doubled, Yankees manager Aaron Boone approached umpires and requested they inspect Trammell’s bat.
Plate umpire Adrian Johnson, serving as crew chief, took possession of the bat from an Astros bat boy and consulted with his crew. The umpires conducted a review via headset to determine if the bat was legal due to noticeable discoloration on its barrel. According to Astros manager Joe Espada, “The bat was worn down a little bit,” he said. “He uses that bat all the time and I guess they thought it was an illegal bat. So the league wants to take a look at the bat. I thought it was … whatever.” The umpires confiscated Trammell’s bat for further examination by league officials.
Boone explained after New York’s 8-4 win that his team had noticed something unusual about Trammell’s bat earlier in the series and suspected it might be illegal because of its discolored label. Boone said he spoke with a league official about it before Thursday’s game: “The discoloration’s on the label,” Boone said. “I don’t know if it was just natural or if it was. … I don’t know, and I don’t want to accuse Taylor. I’m not saying anything untowards or whatever. We noticed it, though, on video while we were here, and we actually mentioned it to the league, and they said, ‘No, that looks like an illegal bat.’ So that was it.”
According to Major League Baseball rules, specifically Rule 3.02(c), colored bats are not allowed in professional games unless approved by MLB. Trammell used a bat featuring a lighter handle and darker barrel—a combination that is permitted—though questions arose regarding whether its finish complied with regulations.
Trammell described having used this particular matte-finished bat frequently without issue: “I’ve had that bat since I’ve been here,” he said. “I’ve had it for a long time. I usually take BP with it. I use it in games, I use it in [Triple-A Sugar Land], use it every time I need. The only thing [is] I just don’t have a gloss finish on my bat. It’s matte. Paint wears down. That’s what happened.”
He also expressed frustration at suggestions of wrongdoing: “I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I feel kind of defensive right now, moreso a test of my character, like I’m going to willingly do that. Just kind of lost on that thing, and if anybody knows me knows I’m never going to cheat or anything like that. I have no idea.
“That’s baffling to me that it was even checked. They didn’t like it. Sorry. I used it the first at-bat and it wasn’t a problem. I struck out and it wasn’t a problem then.”
Despite his disappointment over how events unfolded during Thursday’s game against his former club—Trammell played five games for Boone last year—he maintained respect for his former manager: “He was straight up with me…,” he said.“In that situation, I really don’t understand it.”
