"Rules are rules...we should stand by it" - Carlos Mendoza reflects on Edwin Díaz's ejection, backs MLB for guidelines against foreign substance usage

On Sunday's 5-2 victory against the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz was thrown out for allegedly using a foreign stick substance to increase his spin rate.

In a post-game interview, the 30-year-old RHP claimed that he did not use anything other than rosin, sweat, and dirt to get a better grip on the ball.

But the crew chief Vic Carapazza has refuted the pitcher's claims and has said that he is certain that whatever it was on his hands, it wasn't surely rosins.

Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza has opened up on this incident. The manager has surprisingly backed the league for their rules against foreign substance usage.

"They thought it was too much and altough Diaz kept saying it was Rosin, sweat and dirt but the umpires thought he crossed the line there and you know obviously the rules are the rules, so they made the decision to throw him out."

When asked if it was rosin that the pitcher used on his hands, Mendoza agreed that it indeed was that and also said that Diaz used a little too much of it, making his hands more sticky than they should have been.

"He (Diaz) used it a little too much and I got to do my job, so that's all to the story. Obviously the rules are the rules, MLB is doing what they are doing because they have a good reason and we got to stand by it. Diaz went over and obviously we are going to feel it as we are going to be short now, so we got to move on and stick to the rules."

Diaz is currently facing a 10-game ban which is the standard punishment set by the MLB for all players found using foreign substances. With everything going against the player, it is now to be seen if that is all to this matter or if there is still more to come.

Edwin Diaz reflects on being ejected from Cubs game

Following Sunday's game, in the post-game interview, Edwin Diaz backed himself in the stick stuff violation incident. He claimed to have not used any foreign substances but just the regular stuff that he always used.

"I just said I used the same thing always. I rubbed rosin, and sweat and put my hand in the dirt a little bit because I needed to grip the ball. So that's what I was explaining to them, but they said it was a mistake. I understood, but at the end of the day I was using rosin. I was really surprised because I didn't have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt. They always check my hand, everything. I just said hey you can check my hands. They didn't smell anything, but they threw me out."

The pitcher was thrown out of the game even before he threw his first pitch when he entered the match in the ninth inning of the game. The umpires discovered this alleged sticky stuff on his hands during a routine check and immediately decided to eject him from the game.