San Diego Padres pitcher Robert Suarez was ejected from the game against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park after being inspected for a foreign substance before entering the eighth inning. The incident occurred during the Padres’ 4-0 victory.
Suarez, who claimed he was only using a normal amount of sunscreen for day games, went through a routine check behind the mound before throwing his warm-up pitches. Umpires examined both his throwing hand and his glove hand, subsequently ejecting him from the game.
Crew chief Todd Tichenor explained, “We were doing a routine spot check for a foreign substance. He was observed to have a sticky substance on his glove-hand side. All four of us got together, and we deemed that it was too sticky — very sticky — and he was ejected from the game.”
Suarez expressed surprise at the ejection and denied using any illegal substances. He stated, “Like any day game, I put on some sunscreen, and that’s what they saw. That’s what led to their decision to eject me from the game. … I definitely don’t use any illegal substance, any banned substance at all.”
Despite sunscreen not being a banned substance and rosin routinely provided to pitchers, the combination of the two can create a sticky substance that is grounds for ejection.
Tichenor clarified that the violation was due to a substance on Suarez’s “general wrist area” and his crew inspected his left arm further by making him roll up his sleeve. However, Tichenor could not identify the specific substance used.
Suarez maintained that it was only sunblock, stating, “It was just the sunblock. Like I said, that’s what I use for day games, and that’s what they saw. But outside of anything besides sunblock, it wasn’t anything else.”
Suarez had a 4.73 ERA in 13 appearances this season, having missed the first half due to an elbow injury. His performance last season made him one of the Padres’ most valuable relief pitchers, and he signed a five-year contract with the team during the offseason.
Padres manager Bob Melvin acknowledged that the team would have to cope with a potential 10-game suspension for Suarez. Melvin said, “We have guys down there to overcome it. Obviously, he’s a big piece for us. But similar to an injury, sometimes you just have to move on, and other guys have to step up.”
Left-hander Tom Cosgrove took Suarez’s place in the game and was given enough time to warm up. He pitched a perfect 1-2-3 eighth inning, helping the Padres secure their victory.