Report: MLB decides pitchers can use cheat sheets after Phillies debacle

After umpire Joe West confiscated a cheat sheet from Philadelphia Phillies reliever Austin Davis during Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs, deeming it a foreign substance, the league notified teams that players can use reference cards, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

West, who is the crew chief for the series between the playoff-hopeful clubs, cited Rule 6.02(c)(7) in confiscating the reference card, which states pitchers may not possess "any foreign substance." The umpire admitted he was flummoxed by Davis' cheat sheet.

"This caught us off guard," West said after the game, according to The Athletic's Meghan Montemurro. "I've been here 40 years. I ain't never seen it before. I don't want to kick him out of the game for this. That's overkill. But does he have the right to carry it? That I don't know."

In the end, the league ruled that cheat sheets weren't a violation of Rule 6.02(c)(7) as long as players don't delay the game by using them.

Davis pulled out a scouting sheet as the Cubs deployed Addison Russell as a pinch hitter.

Instead of seeing the maneuver as gamesmanship, manager Joe Maddon tipped his cap to his Phillies counterpart Gabe Kapler.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Maddon conceded, according to Montemurro. "Who cares?"

"If you're looking to accelerate the game, having information in the back pocket of a pitcher might help accelerate, eliminate a trip," Maddon added. "That might be what they're looking for. First time I've seen it done, bully for them."