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Edwin Diaz ejected after sticky substance discovered on his hand

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•06/23/24•

ChandlerVessels

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz was ejected in the ninth inning Sunday against the Chicago Cubs after a sticky substance was found on his hand. The ejection occurred before he had even thrown one pitch as he was set to close the game.

Cameras showed a clear view of what alerted the umpires to initiate the substance check on Diaz. His hand is darker and undeniably had something unnatural on it. You can view the moment he was ejected below.

The Mets ultimately turned to Drew Smith after Diaz was ejected. He recorded the first two outs of the inning before Jake Diekman came in to get the final out and record the save in a 5-2 win.

As a result of the discovery of a sticky substance on his hand and glove, Edwin Diaz will be suspended for 10 games by the MLB. He can appeal the suspension if he wishes. He has pitched 23 innings thus far this season and leads the team with seven saves in addition to 33 strikeouts.

“I just say the same thing as always,” Diaz said postgame. “It was rosin and sweat and I put my hand on the dirt a little bit because I need to have some grip on the ball. That’s what I was explaining to them, but they said it was more stick. I understood, but at the end of the day it was rosin and sweat.”

Diaz is the third pitcher on the Mets roster to be ejected for a sticky substance in his career. Both Smith and Max Scherzer were ejected last season.

“It definitely wasn’t rosin and sweat,” crew chief Vic Carapazza said of what was on Diaz’ hand. “We’ve checked 1000’s of these. I know what that feeling is. This was very sticky.”

New York improved to 37-39 on the year with the victory and find themselves in fourth place in the NL Central standings. Sunday’s victory gave the Mets a 2-1 series win against the Cubs. Next up on the schedule is a series with the New York Yankees, which begins Tuesday.

Diaz will be eligible to return on July 6 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He still denies the use of an illegal substance.

“I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt,” Diaz said. “They always check my hat, everything. They thought it was sticky. I said, ‘you can check my hand and the smell and anything,’ but they threw me out of the game.”