Yikes and Wonder

Could Carlos Rodon have recorded his second no-hitter of the season Sunday afternoon? Well, he would’ve been hitless through 6-2/3 innings if plate umpire Pat Hoberg had rung up Eric Haase on a 2-2 pitch that was squarely in the bottom of the strike zone; Haase then doubled to left on a full count. Hoberg later admitted to Rodon he blew the call, something MLB.pravda forgot to mention in its story. On the day, Rodon went seven innings, giving up that one hit, which turned into a run, along with two walks against nine strikeouts; he now has a 1.89 ERA on the season. Oh, and the Sox won 4-1, sweeping the Tigers in Detroit. Take that, ghost of Victor Martinez. My only question is if Rodon is using anything to “enhance” his pitches. My gut reaction is No; the same holds for the other starters. I bring this up because MLB is starting to crack down on pitches sneaking sticky stuff onto their fingers in order to get better spin on the ball. The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole pretty much admitted his guilt during a recent press conference. So, we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy this return to the 1960s, when Sox pitching dominated (and the team deadened balls by freezing them). Oh, I’ll keep an eye out for any suspicious stains on uniforms and caps, too.