Report: Astros Catcher Maldonado's Game 1 Bat Didn't Give Him a Competitive Advantage

The bat Houston Astros' Martín Maldonado used in Game 1 of the World Series was banned for player safety.

During the FOX broadcast of Game 2 of the World Series, Tom Verducci noted Martín Maldonado was told by Major League Baseball he couldn't use the same bat he used in Game 1. The Houston Astros catcher received the bats from St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols.

Grandfathered into for the future Hall of Fame inductee, the bat banning was "not considered a competitive issue; it was a player safety issue, with the concern being multipiece bat failures that happened on the field," Marly Rivera of ESPN reported.

There was no cheating or illegal play involved. The bat didn't give Maldonado an advantage rather it was deemed unsafe for those in the infield, if the bat were to break.

Maldonado slapped an RBI single in Game 1 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. The catcher went hitless in Game 2 on Saturday, starting consecutive games for the Astros.

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