It was revealed during Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday that Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado used an illegal bat during the Fall Classic opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Tom Verducci reported on the Fox Sports broadcast.
Major League Baseball notified Maldonado about the bat being illegal earlier Saturday.
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“It was a model that he obtained from Albert Pujols,” Verducci said of the illegal bat, “and he used it because he thought it was very similar in size and weight to his own model, (but) the barrel, he said, was slightly bigger. He also thought it was a way to honor the baseball legend, of course retiring with the close of this season.
“But here’s the catch to it … in 2010, Major League Baseball changed the bat specifications. And (Pujols’ bat) was no longer legal except if you were playing prior to 2010, it was grandfathered in.”
Verducci noted that the bat would be illegal for Maldonado to use since he made his debut in 2011. However, it was perfectly acceptable for Pujols to continue using.
MLB also clarified that the use of the illegal bat presented a safety issue and not one of gaining a competitive edge, according to ESPN’s Marly Rivera.
“Pujols and I are really good friends,” Maldonado explained. “I asked him for a couple bats. I used one yesterday. The league calls today and all they said is that I didn’t have the service time to be able to use that bat … I don’t think it is a big deal. It is the rule and I have to follow the rule.”
Martin Maldonado after the game spoke about the report that he used a bat sent to him by Albert Pujols in Game 1 of the World Series.
It was a bat that we wasn’t supposed to use because he didn’t have the proper service time to use that bat. pic.twitter.com/gZSTuzmYBo
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The Astros were infamously involved in a cheating scandal during their 2017 championship season, which MLB investigated and found that the team used technology to steal signs from opponents and relay the information to the hitters at the plate. The scandal led to the suspension and subsequent firing of manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow as well as additional draft-pick and financial sanctions.
Maldonado went 1-for-3 with one RBI while using the bat in the Astros’ Game 1 loss to the Phillies.
