The New York Mets bullpen suffered a massive blow on Tuesday afternoon when it was announced star closer Edwin Díaz would not appeal his 10-game suspension for violating the prohibitions on using foreign substances.
Díaz entered the bottom of the ninth inning of Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs, looking to secure the save. Second-base umpire Brian Walsh routinely inspected the pitcher’s hand and glove and, after not liking what he felt, called over the rest of the crew, who did their own inspection before ejecting the Puerto Rican native.
The 30-year-old joins Max Scherzer and Drew Smith as the only pitchers in franchise history to be ejected following the routine check that began in the 2023 campaign.
Mets: Edwin Díaz maintains his innocence
“I just said I use the same thing as always,” Díaz explained after the game. “I rub rosin, sweat, and I put my hand in the dirt a little bit because I need to have some grip on the ball. So that’s what I was explaining to them, but they said it was too much stick. I understood. But at the end of the day, I was using rosin, sweat, and put my hand in the dirt. I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt. 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.”
Edwin Diaz to begin serving 10-game suspension on Tuesday – Yahoo Sports
The 30-year-old has had a rollercoaster of a campaign, including a stint on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement and being demoted from the closer position at one point.
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Díaz has pitched 23 innings across 23 appearances in his first year back from tearing his patellar tendon to a 4.70 ERA with a 1.174 WHIP and 33 strikeouts while being seven-for-11 in save situations.
Assuming there are no rainouts or cancelations in the Mets’ next 10 games, the Puerto Rican native is eligible to return on July 6 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
