What the Mariners said about the Yankees tipping pitches in Tuesday’s win

NEW YORK — When Josh Rojas woke up Wednesday morning in Manhattan and checked his phone, he was surprised to see he was the focal point of the Mariners’ 6-3 win over the Yankees less than 24 hours earlier.

“I saw it on Twitter today,” he said with a chuckle.

In the aftermath of the Mariners’ second straight win at Yankee Stadium, New York starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt accused Rojas of relaying what he was throwing to Dylan Moore at the plate, particularly on the 3-2 cutter on the outside corner.

Moore turned that pitch into a two-run homer off Schmidt in the third inning. It was the first of two homers on the night for Moore.

“I think there was a little bit of relaying the signs at second,” Schmidt told the Yankees beat writers.

He didn’t feel that Moore should’ve been able to hit a cutter in that location out of the park.

“It was a quality pitch, for sure,” Schmidt said. “Tipping is a part of this game, and it’s always in the back of our heads. It’s something that we’re well aware of. I think [Rojas] was definitely, probably relaying some signs there at second. Obviously, it paid off for them.”

MLB Central, the morning show from MLB Network, ran a segment on the pitch tipping from Schmidt with former MLB outfielder Chris Young breaking down the situation. Young pointed out that Schmidt didn’t do enough to hide his pitch grips from Rojas, who had doubled to reach second.  

What was Rojas’ reaction to the news?

“I thought it was funny,” he said. “It’s an interesting concept. But I mean, you can see in the video, he was clearly tipping. Everybody’s always trying to look for something. We’re out there trying to find anything we can to gain an advantage and just trying to be aware. We’re also trying to be aware of our guys doing it as well. And try to stay on top of it and not let anything get leaked.”

It wasn’t an actual admission that he relayed the pitch to Moore on the 3-2 cutter. But it also wasn’t a denial.

Manager Scott Servais tried to downplay the situation somewhat, not wanting it to build into something more.  

“Dylan Moore, obviously, had really good at-bats last night,” Servais said. “Things that go on in the game, all teams are always looking for ways to gain some kind of advantage.

“All I know is Dylan Moore is swinging the bat really well. I don’t care if he knows what pitch is coming or not, you still got to hit it. He put a really good swing on [the] ball last night. I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it. We also have pitchers that give up hits and homers once in a while, and then you dig in and maybe we are giving up something as well. So you always want to be aware of that stuff.”

Schmidt didn’t feel like the Mariners were cheating. They weren’t doing anything illegal in the game. This isn’t like the Astros sign-stealing issues. He put the blame on himself.  

“One hundred percent,” Schmidt said. “If I’m giving away the pitches, then it’s a credit to them to be able to find it. Especially a credit to Moore for being able to capitalize on a mistake. So it’s definitely part of the game.”

As one of the Mariners pointed out: “The teams that complain the most about getting their pitches or signs stolen are the ones that do it the most. They are the most aware because they do it so much.”

The Yankees racked up 12 hits off Minnesota starter Chris Paddack last week, and there was thought they had picked up on a tell with his glove that tipped them to when he was throwing a fastball vs. a curveball.

As Servais pointed out, even if a hitter knows what pitch is coming, it’s still not a given that it’s hit.

“It’s very hard,” Servais said. “Dylan Moore is swinging the bat really well right now. And Clarke Schmidt is a really good pitcher. Sometimes they hit a ball and it goes out and even when you make a good pitch. That’s why it is called the major leagues. It happens.”

Notes

• Second baseman Jorge Polanco returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 13. He left that game vs. the Royals with hamstring tightness. The Mariners opted to not place him on the 10-day injured list, believing he would only be out a handful of games. He was available to pinch hit on Tuesday, but wasn’t used.

“He’s anxious to get back out there and get it rolling in the right direction,” Servais said.

Polanco has played in 41 games this season, posting a .192/.298/.308 slash line with two doubles, five homers, 13 RBI, 21 walks and 53 strikeouts.

• The Mariners selected the minor league contract of left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Diaz and then optioned him back to Tacoma, where he has been pitching all season.

The roster move was made to avoid an opt-out clause in Diaz’s minor league contract.

Diaz, 27, has made eight starts and one relief appearance for the Rainiers, posting a 6-1 record with a 3.18 ERA. In 51 innings pitched, he’s struck out 55 batters with nine walks.