If Major League Baseball’s sticky substance scandal hasn’t piqued your interest, then maybe today’s allegations of widespread cheating across the sport by MLB analyst, author, and stat guru Ryan Spaeder might do the trick.

Hours after the Tuesday announcement from the league that it would formally ban and police the use of illegal substances by pitchers, substances such as Spider Tack, sunscreen, and rosin, Spaeder sent the following tweet at 1:50 a.m. ET Wednesday morning — about 15 minutes following the conclusion of the Phillies-Dodgers game:

“I’ve had enough, I think I am coming out with everything tomorrow…going to sleep on it.”

Sleep on it he did, and today, he unleashed a series of accusations, ones he claims were verified by multiple players, in a lengthy Twitter thread. In particular, two of the allegations have close ties to the Phillies:

  • Spaeder indicates he was told “Chase Utley was the biggest cheater of all-time,” though he didn’t provide any context or additional details regarding this particular claim.
  • He also tweets that the Yankees had cameras placed across their home outfield, pointing at the opposing pitcher’s glove, in an effort to help identify grip. He cites a significant disparity between Aaron Judge’s 2017 home/road splits. That’s particularly noteworthy because 2017 was the final season in which current Phillies manager Joe Girardi led the Yankees. New York finished the season 91-71 overall, including a 51-30 mark at home, before Girardi was dismissed that October.

The thread, currently:

Next week, Major League Baseball will begin formally implementing its enforcement of banned sticky substances. In the interim, it appears the game now has an entirely different set of headaches to deal with in the coming days.