Ex-Twins Minor Leaguer Derek Bender Denies Allegations of Giving Away Pitches

In a recent interview with The Athletic, former Minnesota Twins minor league catcher Derek Bender firmly denied allegations that he tipped off opposing hitters about which pitches were coming. Bender, who is currently out of professional baseball, is under MLB investigation for allegedly informing opposing batters of the pitches being thrown by his team. "No," Bender stated in the interview, "And I'll live with this until the day I die. I never gave pitches away. I never tried to give the opposing team an advantage against my own team." These allegations have cast a shadow over Bender's career, but he continues to assert his innocence.
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Bender, a sixth-round draft pick from Coastal Carolina in July, was playing for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Twins' Single-A affiliate, when the alleged incident occurred. In the second game of a September 6 doubleheader, sources told ESPN that Bender informed multiple hitters for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Detroit farm team, about the specific pitches being thrown by starter Ross Dunn. While the investigation is ongoing, Bender's denial and the details surrounding the incident have drawn significant attention, raising questions about the integrity of the game and the future of the young catcher.