Admittedly, the Martin Maldonado illegal bat thing isn’t THAT big of a deal. The Phillies won Game 1, Major League Baseball addressed the  issue, and now we’re tied 1-1 in the series with Game 3 tonight.

What bothers me is this:

https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1586533857490149376?s=20&t=ukvozun9dMZnaU_KHpFBHQ

This makes no sense because if it was a player safety issue, then Albert Pujols also should have been disallowed from using the bat. Nobody should have been allowed to use the bat.

From The Associated Press:

The bat he used in Game 1 — a Marucci AP5 — was a Pujols model. In 2010, Major League Baseball changed bat specifications for safety purposes, trimming the diameter of the barrel from the long-standing 2.75 inches to 2.61 inches.

The move to slightly slimmed-down bats was designed to reduce the risk of them breaking into multiple pieces. As part of the move, players already in the majors and using bigger bats could continue to swing them.

If MLB knew these bats splintered and that flying wood shards could injure players, then allowing them after the sunsetting period runs contrary to common sense. This would be like the government coming out and saying that your dad doesn’t have to drive a car with anti-lock brakes because he was driving before that safety measure became mandatory. You and I were born post-mandate, and so we have to drive a car with anti-lock brakes. The rub is that if the government really cared about safety, then your dad wouldn’t get an exception.

On the contrary, I know that there were hockey players skating around helmet-less for some time, but that only impacted them. Craig MacTavish was only putting himself at risk, right? His decision to not wear a helmet didn’t endanger Cam Neely, but if Pujols shatters his Marucci AP5 into a million pieces and Ranger Suarez gets one in the shoulder, then what now?

It’s fine if MLB sees this as a safety issue and not a competitive advantage, but the explanation falls short and follow-through on the rule is lacking.