New York Yankees pitcher
Michael Pineda has been suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball "for possessing a foreign substance on his person" in Wednesday night's game against the
Boston Red Sox.
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AP Photo/Elise AmendolaMichael Pineda received a 10-game suspension for having a foreign substance on his neck in Wednesday's start.
If Pineda doesn't appeal, his suspension is scheduled to start Thursday night.
In a bizarre sequel to an April 10 game between the Yankees and Red Sox, in which Pineda was suspected of having pine tar on the palm of his pitching hand while allowing only one run in six-plus innings, Red Sox manager John Farrell on Wednesday asked plate umpire Jerry Davis to check Pineda.
After a mound conference in which Davis checked Pineda's hand, the ball, and the right side of Pineda's neck, the pitcher was ejected. At the time, Pineda had a 1-2 count on
Grady Sizemore.
After the game, Pineda acknowledged he had pine tar smeared on his neck.
Pineda had had a difficult first inning, allowing two runs on four hits, including a leadoff triple by Sizemore, although two of the hits were a bloop single that dropped into short right-field and a grounder up the middle that skipped between
Derek Jeter's legs.
The smear of a shiny substance along the side of Pineda's neck was not apparent in the first inning but was obvious in the second. According to MLB rule 8.02, a pitcher may not use a "foreign substance'' on the ball.