New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz was ejected from the game in the ninth inning before throwing a pitch Sunday night when umpires deemed his hands sticky.
The quick exit raised a popular question on social media: Why wasn’t Díaz allowed to simply wash his hands, as other pitchers have been permitted to do? Bailey Ober of the Minnesota Twins and Clarke Schmidt of the New York Yankees are among the pitchers who have been allowed to stay in the game after lathering up.
According to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, whether the umpire grants permission to wash up or not depends on if the umpire feels the player crossed a line with being sticky. The source said Monday that when the umpires feel something sticky on the hand, glove, etc., the player is always at risk of ejection.
In instances where a player has been allowed to wash up, the umpire felt something tacky but not sticky — they have been trained on the difference — or the situation involved discoloration or dirt without any tackiness.
In those cases, umpires have provided players with opportunities to resolve the issue. But if something appears clearly sticky, especially when it’s deemed “extremely sticky” like how crew chief Vic Carapazza described Díaz’s case Sunday night, then the umpire will simply eject the player. Sticky is what will lead to ejection.
Díaz, who faces a 10-game suspension, said he used a combination of rosin, sweat and dirt.
Carapazza, however, disputed that account, adding, “I knew right when I touched it. It was way too sticky.” The Mets didn’t try to explain away Díaz’s stickiness. Diaz said he did not ask Carapazza for permission to wash his hands. Carapazza did not appear to address the specific topic of permitting Díaz to wash his hands or not in a pool interview.
Umpires perform checks on all pitchers every day. Carapazza estimated that he has performed “thousands” of inspections.
Díaz will be the eighth MLB pitcher suspended for foreign substances since the new rules were instituted. Of that list, two other Mets pitchers — Max Scherzer (now with the Texas Rangers) and reliever Drew Smith — received suspensions last year.
(Photo of Edwin Díaz: Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
