CHICAGO — New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz was ejected in the ninth inning before even throwing a pitch Sunday night against the Chicago Cubs.
Díaz came on to try to seal what turned out to be a 5-2 Mets victory, but was tossed for having a foreign substance after umpires inspected his hands and glove.
Díaz now faces a 10-game suspension under MLB Rule 6.02, which states that players cannot “have on his person, or in his possession, any foreign substance.” He can appeal.
Speaking after the game, Díaz said he used the “same thing always” before entering the game — a combination of Rosin, sweat and a little dirt after he rubbed his hand on the ground.
“I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt,” he said. “They always check my hat, everything. They just thought that it was sticky a lot.
“As soon as they saw me, they was trying to throw me out of the game. I understood. That’s their job. That’s part of the game.”
Crew chief Vic Carapazza, however, said it “definitely wasn’t Rosin and sweat.”
“We’ve checked thousands of these,” Carapazza said via the pool report after the game. “I know what that feeling is. This was very sticky.”
Drew Smith got two outs in place of Díaz before Jake Diekman struck out pinch hitter Patrick Wisdom for his third save for the Mets, who have won four straight series.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.