MLB: No evidence Lester used foreign substance
Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester was accused of using an illegal substance in Game 1 of the World Series by a St. Louis Cardinals minor-leaguer, who made the assertion via social media.
Tyler Melling, a Class-A left-handed pitcher and 2011 39th-round draft pick, posted via Twitter (@TylerMelling) "Jon Lester using a little Vaseline inside the glove tonight?" The message was accompanied by a still picture of a television shot in which what appears to be a glob of a greenish substance is visible near the webbing and pinkie of Lester's black glove.
Major League Baseball said in a statement: "We cannot draw any conclusions from this video. There were no complaints from the Cardinals and the umpires never detected anything indicating a foreign substance throughout the game."
General manager John Mozeliak said the Cardinals were not pursuing the matter further in a statement issued to major media outlets after Vine videos and photos of Lester's glove spread through social media.
"As far as I'm concerned it's a non-issue," Mozeliak said. "It's something that arose in social media and not from our players or manager or our coaching staff. To me it does not represent a concern."
TBS baseball analyst and former relief pitcher Dirk Hayhurst made similar accusations in May. Hayhurst said Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz was doctoring the baseball on the mound.
In 2006, the Cardinals appealed to umpires during the World Series to have Detroit Tigers left-handed starter Kenny Rogers' glove and hat be inspected for illegal substances. The team charged that Rogers was using pine tar..
