Lance Lynn, the Chicago White Sox ace right-hander, was tossed after hurling his belt at umpire Nic Lentz during the fourth inning of their game against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.
MLB and Minor League Baseball began cracking down on pitchers for using sticky substance to gain enhanced grip and spin June 21. After an inning an umpire may randomly examine a pitcher’s glove, hat or other parts of his uniform to ensure there are no foreign substances present.
Most substance checks are quick and painless, but some pitchers pushed back against the checks, especially early on. Sergio Romo started the practice by removing his hat, glove and belt and dropping his pants to ensure his innocence after his appearance against the Texas Rangers on June 22.
Max Scherzer, then of the Washington Nationals, first was agitated then became irate, tossing his hat and glove after he was checked by umpires three times during his start against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 23.
Video of each outburst went viral, and each pitcher was allowed to remain in the game despite his tirade. But when Lynn went to the dugout after retiring the A’s in the fourth, Lentz walked over to the Chicago dugout and asked to check Lynn’s belt. Lynn tossed the belt in the third-base umpire’s direction, which led to his dismissal.
“[Lentz] was late getting over [for the substance check], so I left my glove and my hat,” Lynn told reporters after the game. “I was going down to the dugout to see the trainers, because I’m dealing with something, and he yells at me that he needs to see my belt, so I tossed it up and he throws me out.”
Lynn was surprised by the ejection and blamed Lentz for what he deemed a misunderstanding.
“He’s late getting over there, and I’m just trying to get some work done to go out for the fifth inning,” Lynn said. “Obviously I hurt his feelings.”
Pitchers who are caught with foreign substances are ejected and subject to an automatic 10-game suspension. As of Wednesday only two other Major League pitchers were tossed during the routine checks, Hector Santiago of the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks starter Caleb Smith, who each were caught with an illegal substance on his glove.
Smith was ejected for having what Arizona manager Torey Lovullo called “a couple of hot spots” on his glove during his start against the Phillies on Wednesday. The 30-year-old left-hander denied any wrongdoing.
“I’m not stupid,” Smith told USA Today. “I know the two main things they check is your glove and your hat. If I was using something, and I wasn’t, I wouldn’t put it on my glove and my hat. That’s just ignorant.”
