Former Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone may have inadvertantly let one slip by the catcher.
In an interview with SiriusXM with Evan Cohen and former Mets general manager Steve Phillips, Mazzone said former great Braves pitcher John Smoltz used to put pine tar on baseballs while he pitched.
"One time Smoltzy had it on his shoes and I said, 'John, you can't keep bending over and touching your shoes all the time. Let's put it someplace else!' (he laughs)."
Smoltz blossomed under Mazzone, winning the 1996 NL Cy Young Award when he went 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA. The likely Hall of Famer won 210 games over 20 years (1988-2008) with the Braves.
The Braves pitching staff won six Cy Young Awards in the 1990s on its way to 14 consecutive playoff appearances.
The subject of gamesmanship developed as they were discussing whether the New York Giants faked injuries on Monday Night Football.
Mazzone said: "I know that in my little ball bag I had firm grip and all kinds of goodies to take care of a baseball to get a little more movement on it. (laughs)."
Mazzone served as the coach under manager Bobby Cox from 1990 to 2005. He earned the reputation of developing perennial All-Star pitchers. In the 1990s, he coached one of the best rotations of all-time -- Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and, at various points, Steve Avery, Denny Neagle and others.
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