Mariners’ Josh Rojas keeps it real after Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt pitch-tipping comments

The Seattle Mariners won Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees by the score of 6-3, and after the game, Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt said he believed he was tipping pitches when talking about the two-run home run he gave up to Dylan Moore, and Josh Rojas confirmed that the Mariners had a tell.

“I mean, you can see in the videos he was clearly tipping,” Josh Rojas said, via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “Everybody is always trying to look for something when we’re out there, trying to find anything we can to gain an advantage.”

Rojas is right that teams are always looking for an edge, and a way that they do that is trying to figure out if the pitcher is tipping. The Mariners took advantage of that with Clarke Schmidt on the mound to get a win. Schmidt, however, did not begrudge the Mariners, giving them credit for figuring out a tell and saying that it is part of baseball and “fair game,” according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

“If I’m giving away the pitches, it’s a credit to them for being able to find it,” Schmidt said, via Hoch.

Schmidt still had a fine start, going five innings and giving up two runs. But Bryan Woo of the Mariners was better, throwing six shutout innings and striking out seven Yankees. The Mariners were able to tack on four more runs in the game. The lead was eventually 4-0 after Ty France hit a home run and Moore hit an RBI single. The lead was cut to 4-3 after a Gleyber Torres three-run home run, but the Mariners responded with two home runs after that. Luke Raley hit one in the eighth, while Moore hit his second home run of the game in the ninth inning.

Mariners trying to leave Bronx with impressive series win

After the Mariners took the first two games of the series, they lost the third game on Wednesday by the score of 7-3. They are still in position to take three out of four from a very good Yankees team in the Bronx with a win on Thursday. The pitching matchup for the finale is a good one, as Luis Castillo will face Luis Gil. Luis Castillo is viewed by most as the ace of a very strong Mariners staff, while Luis Gil has been a surprise, but has been very dominant so far this season while filling in the fifth rotation spot after Gerrit Cole’s injury.

The Mariners are in first place in the American League West, but no one has really taken off in that division this season. A series win in the Bronx would be a statement for a Mariners team that is trying to be a contender in the American League this year.