The first instance of a pitcher being ejected following a "sticky stuff" check came Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Héctor Santiago, now pitching for the Seattle Mariners, left Sunday's game against his old team and underwent the now league-mandated inspection of his hat and glove by umpires as he came off the field. The inspection ended with Santiago's glove being confiscated by the umpires and Santiago being ejected from the game.
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It's somewhat fitting that the first ejection under the new strict enforcement of baseball's rules on foreign substances came on the South Side, where umpire Joe West's confiscation of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Giovanny Gallegos' hat in May sparked commissioner Rob Manfred to take action and step up enforcement.
The 33-year-old Santiago, a 10-year major league veteran, pitched for the White Sox in three separate stints, from 2011 to 2013, in 2018 and in 2019.
Sunday marked his ninth appearance with the Mariners this season. He pitched last Wednesday, after baseball's "sticky stuff" inspections began. He was in Sunday's game as a reliever, picking up in the third inning after the game was suspended due to rain a day earlier.
MLB
If Santiago was found to be in violation of the rules on pitchers using foreign substances, he would be subject to a 10-game suspension, per the commissioner's crackdown.