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More on Mariano Rivera Spit-gate

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We told you this morning about the video purportedly showing Yankees closer Mariano Rivera spitting on the ball. The commissioner’s office checked it out, using additional video and still images, and cleared him.

Times staff writer Kevin Baxter spoke with Rivera a few minutes ago. Rivera laughed off the allegations, and we’ll post a story on our website soon.

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Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said neither he nor any of his players had suggested Rivera ever had cheated.

‘Not at all,’ Scioscia said. ‘This is the first thing I’m hearing about this. I didn’t even know that there was any indication that it’s been looked at. Never.

‘There are certainly some guys that might be suspect. Never Mariano, with anything that I’ve heard or been part of. And I’d be shocked if there was anything to that.’

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, who caught Rivera as a player, said he brushed off the allegations. Rivera throws only one pitch, a cut fastball.

‘The one thing about a spitter is it consistently does not go one way like Mo’s ball consistently goes one way,’ Girardi said. ‘So I kind of laughed at it.

‘MLB has investigated. They have nothing about it. We just move on. To me, it’s a dead story. I caught Mo for four years, and I know for sure he never did anything.’

-- Bill Shaikin

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