Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino is frustrated after teammate Edwin Diaz received an automatic 10-game suspension related to the sticky-stuff ejection he suffered in the ninth inning of Sunday’s win at the Chicago Cubs.
“I think there’s some frustration throughout the league that everything’s at the umpire’s discretion in this regard,” Ottavino said during Wednesday’s edition of the “Foul Territory” program, as shared by Bridget Hyland of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “It’s kind of hard to know where the line is.”
Andy Martino of SNY noted that New York has accounted for three of the league’s six sticky-stuff suspensions since Opening Day 2023. Then-Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer and reliever Drew Smith were both popped last year even though they insisted they mixed only MLB-allowed rosin with sweat on their hands. Diaz offered similar comments following Sunday’s victory but nevertheless began serving his ban on Tuesday when the Mets defeated the New York Yankees 9-7.
“Even if you have a certain practice with getting sweaty and grabbing the rosin bag, or grabbing dirt or whatever you’re doing,” Ottavino continued during his comments, “depending on the weather, your hand might have a different level of tack.”
It was reported on Monday that Diaz was not permitted to wash his hands following Sunday’s examination because they were deemed “sticky” rather than discolored. Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News mentioned that Diaz did not ask if he could wash his hands to avoid an ejection, in part because he “wasn’t sure if he was allowed” to make such a request.
“Talking to Edwin, obviously, I’ve got his back,” first-year Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Tuesday. “I truly believe what he was telling us. But yeah, we’ve been pretty firm since day one with the rules, and you hate to see it happen. But we’ve got to move on and stop this.”
The Mets improved to 38-39 on the season without Diaz’s services and will attempt to climb into National League wild-card contention as he remains a spectator for at least nine more games. Ottavino and his teammates had better be careful moving forward, as history suggests Mets pitchers have a reputation regarding what is and isn’t found on their hands during games.
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