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Yankee closer Mariano Rivera laughed off accusations that he spit on the baseball before throwing his first pitch in Monday's American League Championship Series game, playfully promising to buy dinner for two dozen reporters if anyone proves him wrong.
"I give you permission to check video," he said shortly before Game 4 of the ALCS today. "And if I'm wrong, I'll charter a plane and I'll take all of your guys wherever you want to go."
"Don't waste time on this, guys," he said. "There are better things to do than this."
The commissioner's office came to the same conclusion earlier Tuesday, clearing Rivera of any wrongdoing after inspecting broadcast sequences and still photography. Spitting on the ball would violate baseball rules.
"We have found no evidence that Mariano Rivera spit on the ball," spokesman Pat Courtney said.
A video that was copied and posted widely around the Internet this morning shows Rivera preparing to face his first batter, the Angels' Erick Aybar, in the 10th inning of a tie game Monday. The video appears to show Rivera, with the ball in his hands and his back to home plate, looking quickly in two directions, then looking down and spitting.
"If you find a different angle, you will see that the spit is never on the ball," said Rivera, who first learned of the video on his way to the ballpark today.
Both Yankee Manager Joe Girardi and Angel Manager Mike Scioscia quickly came to the pitcher's defense.
"The one thing about a spitter is it consistently does not go one way like Mo's ball consistently goes one way. So I kind of laughed at it," said Girardi, who also caught Rivera during his playing days. "To me it's a dead story. I caught Mo for four years and I know for sure he never did anything."
Scioscia, also a former catcher, said players frequently speculate on who may be cheating. But Rivera's name has never come up in those conversations.
"There are certainly some guys that might be suspect," he said. "Never Mariano with anything that I've heard or been part of. I'd be shocked if there was anything to that."
Rivera, who is considered the greatest closer in postseason history, escaped a bases-loaded jam Monday and has pitched eight scoreless innings in this year's playoffs. His 36 postseason saves are a record, and his 0.72 earned-run average in postseason play is the lowest among pitchers with at least 20 innings.
And he said Tuesday he's not concerned that any rumored wrongdoing will detract from that.
"It's not true. I don't do those things. So I don't worry about it," Rivera, his mouth full of gum, said before pausing.
"Excuse me," he said. "I've got to spit."
kevin.baxter@latimes.com
bill.shaikin@latimes.com
"I give you permission to check video," he said shortly before Game 4 of the ALCS today. "And if I'm wrong, I'll charter a plane and I'll take all of your guys wherever you want to go."
"Don't waste time on this, guys," he said. "There are better things to do than this."
The commissioner's office came to the same conclusion earlier Tuesday, clearing Rivera of any wrongdoing after inspecting broadcast sequences and still photography. Spitting on the ball would violate baseball rules.
"We have found no evidence that Mariano Rivera spit on the ball," spokesman Pat Courtney said.
A video that was copied and posted widely around the Internet this morning shows Rivera preparing to face his first batter, the Angels' Erick Aybar, in the 10th inning of a tie game Monday. The video appears to show Rivera, with the ball in his hands and his back to home plate, looking quickly in two directions, then looking down and spitting.
"If you find a different angle, you will see that the spit is never on the ball," said Rivera, who first learned of the video on his way to the ballpark today.
Both Yankee Manager Joe Girardi and Angel Manager Mike Scioscia quickly came to the pitcher's defense.
"The one thing about a spitter is it consistently does not go one way like Mo's ball consistently goes one way. So I kind of laughed at it," said Girardi, who also caught Rivera during his playing days. "To me it's a dead story. I caught Mo for four years and I know for sure he never did anything."
Scioscia, also a former catcher, said players frequently speculate on who may be cheating. But Rivera's name has never come up in those conversations.
"There are certainly some guys that might be suspect," he said. "Never Mariano with anything that I've heard or been part of. I'd be shocked if there was anything to that."
Rivera, who is considered the greatest closer in postseason history, escaped a bases-loaded jam Monday and has pitched eight scoreless innings in this year's playoffs. His 36 postseason saves are a record, and his 0.72 earned-run average in postseason play is the lowest among pitchers with at least 20 innings.
And he said Tuesday he's not concerned that any rumored wrongdoing will detract from that.
"It's not true. I don't do those things. So I don't worry about it," Rivera, his mouth full of gum, said before pausing.
"Excuse me," he said. "I've got to spit."
kevin.baxter@latimes.com
bill.shaikin@latimes.com
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