The Cubs beat the Dodgers 1-0 on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, taking two of three in the series. Ted Lilly pitched well, going seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball but he wound up with a no-decision. During the sixth inning, Dodgers’ third baseman Casey Blake reached first following a single. Blake noticed that Lilly was pitching a few inches in front of the rubber, closer to homeplate. He tried complaining and pointing out the violation to umpire John Hirschbeck but the umpire wouldn’t bother investigating. After seeing these pictures of Ted Lilly pitching off the rubber, Hirschbeck should realize he was wrong and that next time he should listen and do something about it.
Lilly’s retort was that batters often stand outside of the batters box, which is also wrong. Umpires should not allow hitters to get away with that just as they shouldn’t allow pitchers to pitch in front of the rubber. As far as Lilly’s other response that he would be losing his push off the rubber, that’s b.s.; the advantage he gains by being closer to home can be greater than pushing off the rubber. Plus, if you pack the dirt right, you can push off the mound without even having your foot on the rubber and still get a good advantage. Clearly Casey Blake was right here, Ted Lilly was cheating, and John Hirschbeck should be reprimanded.
Sources:
Casey Blake accuses Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly of cheating [LA Times]
