Astros catcher Martín Maldonado used an illegal bat in Game 1 of the World Series

Three weeks after they ended his career in the Wild Card Series, Albert Pujols is still making the news as it pertains to the Phillies’ playoff run.

During Game 2 of the World Series, Tom Verducci revealed on the FOX broadcast that Astros catcher Martín Maldonado used a new set of bats during Game 1 — bats gifted to him by the newly retired and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.

Maldonado had reached out to Pujols prior to the Fall Classic and asked for a few of his bats, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, and Pujols obliged by sending a half-dozen his way. Maldonado used them in Game 1, a 1-for-3 performance (which included an RBI single) in Houston’s 6-5 loss.

But there’s a catch: The bats were illegal. Verducci reported on the broadcast that the model of bats Pujols used had been banned in 2010. But because Pujols had been using them since before they were banned, a grandfather rule allowed him to continue using them. That same privilege, obviously, didn’t apply to Maldonado, who debuted in 2011.

It feels very weird to “grandfather” a bat in. Either it’s legal or it’s not. pic.twitter.com/piZMJ0o9tn

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) October 30, 2022

It’s interesting where this story would’ve gone had the Astros won Game 1 — with Maldonado playing a role offensively, as he did — or if Maldonado had gotten an even bigger hit that fueled a Houston win.

MLB told Maldonado on Saturday that the Game 1 bats from Pujols weren’t legal, and he again occupied the ninth spot in the starting lineup in Game 2 — back to his old, legal lumber.

It seems unlikely to result in a suspension during the World Series, at least if his participation in Game 2 is any indication. Maldonado’s awareness of the bats’ illegality is unclear as of now, but at the very least, Phillies fans looking for more heckling material about the Astros’ rule-following tendencies have some new ammunition.

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