Edwin Díaz of the Mets was ejected for having a foreign substance on hand, and had a 10-game suspension.
Major League Baseball on Monday punished New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz for ten games after he was ejected from a 5-2 victory against the Chicago Cubs for having an object from abroad on his hand.
Since MLB began to crack down on pitchers trying to utilize foreign chemicals to boost their grip and spin rates in 2021, Díaz became the sixth pitcher to be punished for sticky stuff. Max Scherzer and Drew Smith from last year were two of the three Mets.
Ronel Blanco of Houston was suspended on May 15.
Unless the pitcher files an appeal with MLB special assistant John McHale Jr., Díaz’s suspension, which was announced by MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill, would begin with Tuesday’s Subway Series opening at Citi Field against the New York Yankees. In the event that Díaz files an appeal, the punishment would be suspended until the end of the disciplinary procedure.
The Mets will host three games versus Houston following the two-game series. They would have to use a man short while he was suspended.
After examining his glove and throwing hand, third-base umpire Vic Carapazza threw out 30-year-old Díaz, who had entered the game in the ninth inning to try to give the Mets the win.
Díaz and manager Carlos Mendoza both mentioned that the umpire expressed the opinion that the pitcher’s throwing hand had an excessive amount of rosin, perspiration, and dirt on it.
They decided to kick him out because the rules are the rules, Mendoza said.
After the game, Carapazza, the crew chief, stated in a pool report that Díaz’s hand “definitely wasn’t rosin and sweat.”
Carapazza stated, “We’ve checked thousands of these.” “I am familiar with that emotion. This was really clingy.
Díaz acknowledged that the ejection had “really surprised” him.
“I always use the same thing,” Díaz declared. “I sweat and rub rosin, and I stick my hand a little bit into the dirt to grab hold of the ball.”
Smith replaced Díaz with two outs. The Mets, who have won four straight series, then got their third save from Jake Diekman, who struck out pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom.
Díaz had knee surgery and missed the entire 2023 season. This season, he struggled early on. Prior to being placed on the injured list in May due to a right shoulder impingement, he had four failed save opportunities and a 5.40 ERA. Since coming back, he had three scoreless innings pitched. His throwing had improved significantly.
With a 13-6 record in June and a winning streak of 13 games, New York may need to find a temporary closer for the next two weeks.
We’ve experienced a lot this year, Mendoza noted. You know what, we’ll figure out a way to get through it. We’ll keep putting it together, and yes, men will need to step up. And after he’s out, I’m quite sure we’ll have guys here who can see us through to the finish line.
In 2021, Héctor Santiago of Seattle and Caleb Smith of Arizona received 10-game suspensions apiece. Last year, Robert Suárez of San Diego and Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees were both suspended.
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