Mets closer Edwin Diaz was ejected without throwing a pitch.
Diaz’s night was done before it ever got started when the umpires checked his hands for an illegal substance to start the ninth inning with the Mets leading the Cubs 5-2 at Wrigley Field on Sunday night.
Nearly immediately umpire Brian Walsh seemed to flag the Mets’ closer’s hands when he stepped out of the dugout and Walsh approached Diaz to check his hands.
Quickly, Walsh called over the other umpires to inspect Diaz’s hands and glove and after several moments and a quick conversation, they unanimously decided to eject the Mets closer from the game.
Diaz did appear to protest a bit and Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza did come out to talk with the umpires, but ultimately Diaz left the game.
A close-up shot on the ESPN broadcast of Diaz’s hand showed there was very visibly an excessive amount of foreign substance on his hand, which was noticed by the umpire right away.
The ejection puts Diaz in a particularly rough spot because being ejected for a sticky stuff violation comes with an automatic 10-game suspension.
Diaz does have the right to appeal the suspension.
Drew Smith entered the game in Diaz’s place after he was sent back to the clubhouse and got the first two outs of the inning before Jake Diekman was brought in to finish out the game.
The Mets held on for a 5-2 win over the Cubs to pick up their ninth victory in their last 11 games.
Diaz is now the third Mets pitcher to get kicked out of a game for violating the sticky stuff rule in Major League Baseball, joining the likes of Max Scherzer and Smith.
Sunday’s incident was a tough blow for Diaz, who seemed to have finally turned a corner after a tough start to his 2024 campaign, which has seen him lose his closer role and at one point have to go on the injured list.
After returning from the IL, Diaz had posted three straight scoreless appearances.
