in 2020 after the Angels learned he was providing a blend of sticky substances to visiting pitchers in violation of MLB rules.
Harkins contended he was fired without warning, labeled a “traitor, cheater and a fraud” in the wake ofAttorneys for the Angels and MLB filed a motion for summary judgment May 31, contending that Harkins conceded in a deposition that he provided “sticky stuff” to visiting pitchers and that he was unable to identify who leaked the details of his March 2020 firing to the media.
In 10 minutes of oral arguments before Judge Melissa R. McCormick on June 22, Adam Lauridsen, the attorney representing the Angels and MLB, argued that the substance itself is illegal because it was “being provided to a pitcher with knowledge that the pitcher is going to apply it to his hand or the ball to get an improved grip.”