It’s been a bizarre Wednesday night on the foreign substance crackdown front in Major League Baseball (and a very wild night in general, with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman doing special things).
First, Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn was ejected during a foreign substance check after tossing his belt toward an umpire. And later in the night, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith was ejected after umpires believed to actually identify a foreign substance.
After pitching 2 2/3 innings in relief for the Diamondbacks against the Philadelphia Phillies, umpires confiscated the glove of Smith during a foreign substance check in the eighth inning. Smith was livid at the decision and had to be held back by Arizona coaches.
Bad news….Caleb Smith got caught CHEATING… Allegedly pic.twitter.com/0toTw5Y2Pt
— Baseball Doesn't Exist (@BaseballDoesnt) August 19, 2021
As Bally Sports Arizona’s Steve Berthiaume said in the clip, any pitcher caught using a foreign substance will be ejected — as Smith was — and faces a 10-game suspension. Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago has been the only pitcher to face a 10-game suspension thus far, after getting caught with a foreign substance on June 27.
Smith denied using a foreign substance, according to the USA Today’s Bob Nightengale: “I’m not stupid. 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 or my hat; that’s ignorant.”
#Dbacks pitcher Caleb Smith denies that he was cheating when he was ejected for illegal substances. "I'm not stupid. 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 my glove or my hat, that’s ignorant.''
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 19, 2021
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo doesn’t believe Smith was using a foreign substance. Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports that Lovullo said Smith’s hand was “bone dry,” and that Lovullo added, “I believe my player. I stand by my player.”
Torey Lovullo: "I believe my player. I stand by my player" He said Caleb Smith's hand was "bone dry."
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) August 19, 2021
However, according to Nightengale, Lovullo did acknowledge that there were a couple of “hot spots” on Smith’s glove.
#Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo says he stands by his player, Caleb Smith, but acknowledges there were a couple of "hot spots'' on the glove. He believes the stickiness was caused from the rosin bag.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 19, 2021
Smith, 30, has a 5.12 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 95 innings pitched (13 starts) for Arizona this season.
The Diamondbacks beat the Phillies 4-2.
[Photo Credit: Bally Sports Arizona]
