Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park for having pine tar on his neck. The incident occurred in the second inning after Boston manager John Farrell asked umpires to check Pineda for a foreign substance. Home plate umpire Gerry Davis noticed a smear on the right side of Pineda’s neck, rubbed the substance on his fingers and promptly tossed the pitcher out of the game.
This comes two weeks after Pineda was seen with a brown, sticky substance on the bottom of his right palm while pitching against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Yet by the time this was brought to Farrell’s attention, Pineda had apparently wiped his hand clean. As a result, Boston didn’t bring up the matter with the umpiring crew.
However, Pineda didn’t even appear to be trying to hide the pine tar on Wednesday. It was right there on his neck for everyone to see. Along with the ejection, a suspension would seem to be in the 25-year-old’s immediate future. Rule 8.02 (a) of the MLB rulebook states that a oitcher caught applying a foreign substance to the ball will be ejected and could be issued a penalty of up to 10 games.
