New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz was ejected during the team’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night at Wrigley Field.
The ejection occurred after umpires inspected his hands for sticky substances as he prepared to pitch in the ninth inning.
Despite the controversy, Diaz defending himself to reporters following the game.
“I think it’s the same [stickiness],” Diaz stated. “They always check me, they let me pitch. But today it was hotter than earlier in the season, I don’t know, they thought it was stickier, so I take the suspension.
“I will keep using the same thing because they didn’t find anything in my glove, my hat, my belt.”
Diaz attributed the stickiness to a combination of sweat and rosin, denying any use of illegal substances.
“I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt,” he continued.
“They always check my hat, everything. And they thought that was sticky a lot. I said ‘you could check my hand, smell my hand,’ and they didn’t smell anything, but they threw me out of the game.”
Crew chief Vic Carapazza was certain it was more than just sweat and rosin.
“It definitely wasn’t rosin and sweat,” Carapazza told a pool reporter after the game. “We’ve checked thousands of these. I know what that feeling is. This was very sticky.”
As a result of the ejection, Diaz has been suspended 10-games, though he has the option to appeal.
During this suspension, the Mets are not allowed to replace him on the roster.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza remains optimistic despite the setback. “Yeah, look, we’ve been through a lot this year, and we’ll find a way to get through it,” he said.
“We’ll continue to piece it together. Guys are going to have to step up. I’m pretty confident that we’ll get guys here that are going to get us to the finish line here when he’s done.”
“It’s tough … I still love him, I still will back him up, and I believe what he says,” Francisco Lindor said of Diaz.
Major League Baseball has taken great measures in recent years to crack down on illegal substances.
Having said that, how big of a problem do you think it continues to be? … Did Diaz get screwed in this instance?
Do you think more pitchers than we realize are using illegal substances in a way that slips through the cracks?
Is the league’s current scale of punishment what it should be? … Or should it be even harsher for offenders???