As we’ve seen in recent years, Major League Baseball is cracking down on pitchers using sticky substances. The umpiring crews routinely check pitchers during the game, and everyone knows what to expect at this point.
But Thursday’s game had to be a strange conversation for Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zach Eflin. He was told to remove his wedding ring for some reason.
Eflin was dominant in his first seven innings against the Pirates. And ahead of the second inning, umpire Adrian Johnson had a discussion with Eflin and had him remove a rubber wedding ring from his left hand before he could continue pitching.
Umps made Zach Eflin take off his wedding ring pic.twitter.com/BGVmDMzgdF
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 4, 2023
Now, a wedding ring — particularly a rubber or silicone one — isn’t going to impact a right-handed pitcher’s performance. The ring was on Eflin’s glove hand, and it wasn’t like he was removing his glove between pitches.
Eflin complied with Johnson’s request without much of an argument at all. But fans were justifiably confused about why the umpires wanted a ring removed from the pitcher’s glove hand.
Update: Eflin said after the game that the umpires would have ejected him if he didn’t take the ring off.
Zach Eflin says he would have been ejected if he didn’t take off his rubber wedding band pic.twitter.com/mYyVdE6PNG
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 4, 2023
This was how Twitter reacted
Sir, you can only be married to the game… 😂 This is dumb, especially considering that his silicone ring is underneath his glove. https://t.co/W3BrPllOt7
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) May 4, 2023
umpires are weird dudes lol https://t.co/9x6496mFdW
— Jamison Dail (@lil_dumii) May 4, 2023
this league and it’s umpires are becoming so ridiculous lmao https://t.co/PXwmeRl0DU
— CF (@CFPlaysTV) May 4, 2023
It's on/in his glove? Who pointed this out as a problem? https://t.co/Qfiij0CYN3
— Dougie Tutter (@Dougie_Tutter) May 4, 2023
Weird behavior by the umps https://t.co/CbTmiYIEth
— B (@DamesLuver) May 4, 2023
“Gonna need you to take off the non-reflective rubber ring you’re wearing under your glove.” -Umps probably https://t.co/FFK8wbyH4O
— Kody H. (@kodyahuang) May 4, 2023
I don't know to be more confused about a rubber ring or why umps need him to a take a ring off his glove hand?
— Anne Campbell (@filmgatereviews) May 4, 2023
What a power trip by the ump. It’s a wedding ring underneath his glove, get real https://t.co/s0TDGeXoiN
— Tyler Thomsen (@tylerthomsen96) May 4, 2023
Wedding ring that is on the glove hand had to come off???? https://t.co/XX3t493lma
— 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗗𝗙𝗦 & 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗦 (@LineStarApp) May 4, 2023
That one will never make sense.
