Joel Peralta Ejected For Having Foreign Substance On His Glove

Last night Joel Peralta was ejected from the game without throwing a pitch. Davey Johnson, manager of the Washington Nationals, asked the umpires to inspect Peralta’s glove. What they found was an unknown substance on Peralta’s glove, which prompted him to be immediately ejected despite not coming into the game. At the time, Peralta was simply warming up in the bullpen.

Before joining the Tampa Bay Rays, Joel Peralta was a pitcher for the Washington Nationals. So it’s possible that the Nationals knew that Joel Peralta often put something on his glove to give him an edge, which is how they could have known he was doing it in the bullpen. At this point the substance is not known, although it is expected to be something like pine tar.

The Tampa Bay Rays were not happy by the events, and manager Joe Maddon called it a “cowardly” action. The Rays managed to win the game, but were clearly frustrated to lose Peralta without having him throw a pitch.

Joel Peralta’s glove has been sent to New York so that the office of Major League Baseball can determine what the substance is. If Peralta did in fact break the rules and use an illegal substance, he will likely be suspended for 5-10 games. This would be a huge blow to the Rays pitching staff, as Joel Peralta has been a key reliever out of the bullpen. On the season, Joel Peralta is 0-2 with a 3.81 ERA, although his strikeout rate is a career high at 11.1K/9. The Rays are three games back of the division leading New York Yankees, and simply can’t afford to lose any more ground. If Peralta misses any time due to a suspension, Jake McGee and Wade Davis will likely fill in for the 8th inning.

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