Major League Baseball has been cracking down on pitchers ever since many across the majors were caught using foreign substances to doctor balls, giving themselves an unfair advantage over the hitter. The league decided to address the issue by releasing a rule in June of last year that allows umps to routinely check any hurler they suspect of using the "sticky stuff."
During the first inning of the Reds-Brewers game on Saturday, one ump made a routine check on Reds SP Graham Ashcraft, however, during his inspection, he didn't find any foreign substance but he did ask the young ace to remove his wedding band.
“He goes, ‘you have to take your ring off,’ ” said Ashcraft, who had his ring back on his left hand in his postgame press conference. “I was like, ‘no, why do I have to take my ring off? I shouldn’t have to.’ Apparently, it’s some new rule they came up with yesterday.”
Well, apparently this is not a new rule. According to rule 6.02(c)(7) in the MLB rulebook, via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the rule states that you “may not attach anything to either hand, any finger or either wrist.”
Ashcraft decided to check with home-plate umpire Junior Valentine about the rule, who confirmed that it was something the league wants force since Friday. Reds skipper David Bell acknowledged that he received a memo about new enforcement of the rule but says he had only quickly scanned through it.
“I actually did get a memo about it,” Bell said. “I knew I had. I hadn't read it super close, so as soon as Graham came off the field, we went and double-checked and there is a rule. They just reminded us recently. I don't know if it was a new one or a reminder.”
Whether the decision affected Ashcraft's confidence or not, he ended his day having one of the worst outings of his young career, allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. He recorded his first loss out of the four games he's started since being called up from the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats in May.
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