Anniversary of the spitball ban: 4 recent scandals on the mound

Ninety-five years ago to the day, MLB took its first step towards eliminating doctored baseballs. Despite officially outlawing the spitball, shineball and emeryball in 1920, the league still sees its fair share of controversy on the mound.

From turpentine baseballs to Vaseline to thumbtacks, pitchers have proven quite creative in their efforts to gain a competitive advantage.

Alleged cheaters from yesteryear comprise a who's who list of former greats - including Whitey Ford and Gaylord Perry - but here's a look at some of the more recent scandalous moments on the mound:

2006 - Kenny Rogers

"I don't believe it was dirt," St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa famously said in reference to Kenny Rogers - and the smudge on his left thumb - after the Detroit Tigers left-hander was accused of scuffing the ball during Game 2 of the World Series.

Rogers, who threw eight scoreless innings for the win, denied any wrongdoing.

"I'm skeptical of a lot of stuff, too," Rogers said, "but I'm not skeptical of my ability to pitch."

St. Louis hitting coach Hal McRae disagreed, saying the team collected at least five scuffed balls that were also doctored with pine tar.

2012 - Joel Peralta

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Joel Peralta was ejected during a 2012 game against the Washington Nationals after pine tar was discovered on his glove.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Peralta was outed by Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who requested the umpires inspect his former pitcher after hearing his players complain. Rays manager Joe Maddon wasn't impressed.

"It's kind of a common practice that people have done this for years," he said. "To point one guy out because he had pitched there, where there's probably some common knowledge based on that, I thought it was a real cowardly - I've used that word twice this year - move."

2013 - Clay Buchholz

Sunscreen and rosin or just water? Whatever Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz had on his forearm during a 2013 start against the Toronto Blue Jays, it sure got the attention of Jays' broadcasters:

For his part, Buchholz said it was just a little water to avoid feeling like he was throwing cue balls off a pool table.

2014 - Michael Pineda

In one of the more egregious acts of cheating in recent memory, New York Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda was suspended 10 games after umpires discovered pine tar on his neck.

Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was among several players who acknowledged widespread use of pine tar, but questioned why Pineda wasn't more discreet.

"Put it on your hat, put it on your pants, your belt, put it on your glove - whatever you have to do," he said. "You just can't do it that blatantly. That was what the biggest issue was. No one has an issue with him doing it; it's just more of the fact that it's so blatant."