MLB umpire Adrian Johnson apparently isn't a fan of holy matrimony.
As #Rays Eflin headed to mound for 2nd, umpires talked to him about something, and Cash came out also.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 4, 2023
Looked like they may have made Eflin take off the rubber ring some players wear in place of a wedding band.
.@RaysBaseball righty Zach Eflin had to remove his wedding ring pic.twitter.com/P1lJdQzzvS
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) May 4, 2023
As noted on the Tampa Bay Rays broadcast, Zach Eflin was wearing a rubber ring in place of his wedding band, so there shouldn't have been any issues with potential doctoring of the baseball.
It was reported in February that MLB would be cracking down on pitchers using "sticky stuff" to aid their performance.
Through the first month-plus of the campaign, it appears that that's certainly been the case, as New York Mets star Max Scherzer was recently suspended 10 games for an apparent high "level of stickiness" that was "so extreme that it was inconsistent with the use of rosin and/or sweat alone," according to insider Ken Rosenthal.
The 47-year-old Johnson made his MLB debut in April 2006 and worked the World Baseball Classic that year. He's also suited up for one All-Star Game (2016) and a host of playoff contests and was promoted to crew chief this year.
Eflin clearly didn't let the unusual circumstances get to him, as he finished Thursday's game with seven shutout innings and only three hits allowed to go with 10 strikeouts and zero walks in a victory.
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