Why Martin Maldonado’s bat was illegal, explained

Here is the exact reason why the bat gifted by Albert Pujols to Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado is considered illegal by MLB.

There was some controversy surrounding the Houston Astros in the postseason. It was determined that catcher Martin Maldonado received a bat from St. Louis Cardinals slugger and former Los Angeles Angels teammate Albert Pujols and used in Game 1 was actually illegal.

That left many wondering why the bat was considered illegal, as Maldonado had to switch back to his old baseball bat for Game 2. Well, here is the exact reason.

Exact reason why Martin Maldonado’s bat was considered illegal

Marly Rivera of ESPN noted that an MLB spokesperson said that the use of Pujols’ bat was “not a competitive issue.” Rather, it was a player safety issue due to “multipiece bat failures that happened on the field.”

This type of bat was banned by MLB back in 2010, but Pujols was still allowed to use it. That is because the bat was officially grandfathered in to any player who played prior to the 2010 ban. Hence why Pujols still used the bat afterwards.

Maldonado notched an RBI single in the second inning of Game 1. The Astros took a 5-0 lead later that game, but the Phillies tied it up and forced extra innings. The Phillies would ultimately take Game 1 after J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning.

So, the RBI single by Maldonado with Pujols’ bat ultimately did not play a major factor in the final score of the game. If the Astros had won? The anger from some fanbases would have reached insane levels.

For those wondering why the bat is no longer eligible to be used by specific players, this is the reason.