White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has not heard anything from Major League Baseball regarding his purpose pitch to Ian Kinsler, coming with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Saturday's 3-2 victory over Texas. It's a pitch currently being reviewed by the league.
The problem for Jenks started when he threw the fastball behind Kinsler's backside on the first pitch, despite the hard-throwing right-hander featuring impeccable control. But Jenks said after the game that he was trying to send a message by throwing inside after the White Sox had six hit batsmen in four games against the Rangers.
Asked Monday about having regrets over making his intentions public, Jenks said he would change nothing.
"That's how I felt about it," Jenks said. "If there's something on my mind, yeah, I'll say it. But again, I wasn't trying to hit him. If they'll investigate that, they'll see that. It wasn't a dirty pitch. It wasn't up. It was right at his butt. That's all I can say.
"You don't want to see anyone getting hurt. My intentions were not to hurt the guy, like I said before, but I was protecting my guys as well."
■ Tiger fans may remember Pat Venditte, the ambidextrous Creighton pitcher who threw against MU last Spring. He's now with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Yankees organization. His manager is former Tiger Torre Tyson (95-98). Rick Reilly has a feature on Venditte at ESPNmag.com:
But Venditte, a four-year letterman at Creighton, has a chance to be the best. If the Yankees bring him up—and at this pace it could happen within three years—they won't need a pitch count. Venditte can throw every day! And when manager Joe Girardi needs to call the bullpen, he can say, "Okay, get a righty and lefty throwing. In other words, get Pat." Of course, how would Girardi signal the bullpen? Touch both arms? Either way, it's a steal for the Yankees. As one scout says, "This could be an economical two-for-one." (Hey, Pat, ask for two salaries.)
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