Clevinger paints glove to avoid color conflict

CHICAGO -- Mike Clevinger set his gray glove on the steps of the visitors' dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday, shook the spray can in his right hand and began the process of painting it black. The glove with "Good Vibes Only" stitched into the leather should no longer be a problem.
During his start against the Angels on Tuesday, Clevinger was asked by umpire crew chief Bill Miller to remove his gray glove after the first inning. Angels manager Mike Scioscia later talked to Clevinger personally to inform the pitcher that the complaint about the glove did not come from Los Angeles' dugout.
"He said it wasn't him," Clevinger said on Saturday. "Obviously you'd be a little upset thinking that they'd pull something like that after a one-two-three first. But no, he came up to me and was like, 'Hey, I just want to clear up all the confusion.'"
While the specific source of the complaint isn't known, Miller was also on the umpiring crew in Baltimore during Clevinger's start on June 22. Clevinger said he believes someone brought it up during that game, creating a situation where Miller complied with Major League Baseball Rule 1.15 during the game against the Angels.
The "a" section of that rule states: "The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of piping, be white, gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner."
According to the rulebook, the crew chief can ask a pitcher to remove a glove by his own initiative, or via the recommendation of another umpire or a complaint by an opposing manager.

Clevinger has ordered a new navy-blue glove and should have it within the next two or three weeks. In the meantime, the right-hander will continue to wear the newly painted black glove. Clevinger said a frustrating aspect of the situation is the fact that he used the gray glove all season -- both in the Majors and Minors -- and also wore a gray glove all of last year, too.
After removing the glove Tuesday, Clevinger borrowed a dark black glove belonging to ace Corey Kluber. That glove is larger than the one Clevinger uses, and that initially created a minor issue.
Clevinger usually has the thumb flared out on his glove, making for a clear path for removing the ball before his delivery. In the second inning against the Angels, Clevinger hit the side of the glove during the transfer and the changeup he threw registered at a game-low 83.2 mph. That pitch typically sits in the 86-88 mph range.
When he takes the mound on Monday in Boston, Clevinger will be happy to move past the ordeal.
"It was a huge relief, especially when I saw it was working out making it black," Clevinger said of painting his glove. "When you're used to your glove, it's huge. You break it in to your own specifications, and everybody is different."