Hurler Ejected Before Throwing One Pitch

Hurler Ejected Before Throwing One Pitch, Tampa Bay’s Joel Peralta takes a very early exit after umpires confront him on the mound. Apparently using inside information, Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson asked umpires to inspect Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Joel Peralta for a foreign substance Tuesday night. Sure enough, the baseball cops caught him with contraband on his glove: “A significant amount of pine tar,” umpire Tim Tschida said. OK for hitters, but against the rules for pitchers. Umpires ejected Peralta before he even threw a pitch in Tampa Bay’s 5-4 victory.

Peralta, who used to pitch for D.C., tipped his cap to the Nats’ dugout and walked off, later saying it was his “batting practice” glove (whatever that is supposed to imply). Rays manager Joe Maddon was incensed – but not at his pitcher for trying to cheat. He called Johnson’s actions “cowardly, bush [league], bogus, insider trading [and] way too easy.”