Aug. 21, 2021Updated: Aug. 21, 2021 5:42 p.m.
Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman of the San Francisco Giants talks to home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi on the pitcher’s mound before pitching in the bottom of the second inning against the Oakland A’s on Aug. 21, 2021 in Oakland, Calif.
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The San Francisco Giants completed a dramatic comeback against the Oakland A’s on Saturday, beating their Bay Area rivals 6-5. But Giants ace Kevin Gausman struggled — and adding insult to injury, it sure looked like an umpire was suspicious of … his tattoos?
Prior to the second inning, home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi approached the mound and asked to examine Gausman’s forearm. That in itself isn’t so unusual at this point, especially after MLB started cracking down on pitchers using illegal substances. But this examination, at least for onlookers following along on television, didn’t appear to be a random spot-check.
Except, as Gausman scrubbed away at his arm (presumably per Cuzzi’s request), all that remained was Gausman’s very visible tattoos. Which begs the question: Was Cuzzi bamboozled by some ink? Did he think the tattoos were something more nefarious?
“I guess they’re telling Gausman, ‘You know, that tattoo thing you’ve got going? We’ve gotta clean that up,'” Giants announcer Duane Kuiper said.
Color commentator Javy Lopez correctly pointed out that such a request is not possible. At least not during a baseball game.
Gausman turned in a rough outing on Saturday, allowing five runs and six hits before getting yanked in the fourth inning. It does not appear as though his tattoos unfairly improve his performance.
