Bell ejected after Schmidt stays in post-substance check

CINCINNATI -- Given a chance in the rotation for the Reds on Friday, Ben Lively turned in a solid performance. But then again, so did Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt.

A tight pitching duel took a turn when a routine substance check on Schmidt raised eyebrows among umpires. By the end of a 6-2 Reds loss at Great American Ball Park, Lively's effort was for naught, manager David Bell was ejected and his bullpen let the game get out of reach.

“I’m not going to talk about it," Bell said. "I think it was probably obvious what happened. I’m just going to leave it at that. We don’t benefit from me talking about this so I’m not going to talk about it. But it was obvious what happened.”

Before the bottom of the fifth inning while New York led, 1-0, third-base umpire Nestor Ceja checked Schmidt for foreign substances. It appeared that something was on the back of the wrist on the left glove hand.

The four umpires convened before Schmidt was sent to the clubhouse to wash his hands.

"[Ceja] noticed something just a little tacky," crew chief Brian O'Nora said. "It wasn't shiny. It wasn't dark, like pine tar. It was that fuzz from the inside part of his glove, I think. As a crew we told him to go wash it off. He washed it off. Nothing was on his hand. It wasn't sticky and it wasn't a foreign substance."

Once deemed clean, Schmidt was permitted to continue. Bell emerged from the Reds' dugout to argue for several minutes and was ejected from a game for the second time in 2023, the 22nd of his career.

"David was upset that we made him clean it off and not eject him," O'Nora said. "I explained the situation. He kept going. I told him it was enough and he kept going. I had no choice but to eject him."

Routine checks for sticky substances have been part of MLB protocol since 2021. In recent weeks, these have not always been routine situations for Yankees pitchers. On Tuesday in Toronto, starter Domingo Germán was ejected and later suspended for 10 games after a sticky residue was found on his palm.

In an April 15 game vs. the Twins, Germán was twice flagged for having too much rosin on his hand but was allowed to wash his hands and remain. Like Bell, Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected for arguing.

One other notable instance this year came on April 19, when the Mets' Max Scherzer was asked to wash his hands after an inspection following the second inning at Dodger Stadium. When he returned for the third, the umpires still felt his hands were too sticky and ejected him.

With all of Schmidt's pitches, Statcast data showed spin rates that were much higher than his average.

"I think it’s the fourth time this year it’s happened, so something is going on," Reds second baseman Jonathan India said. "But I thought you were supposed to be tossed if you have any substance on your hand or glove. … [Bell] has every right to argue and ask what is going on."

What wasn't debated was Lively's performance in his first big league start since April 26, 2018, for the Phillies. He allowed two runs on two hits and one walk over 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts. His best pitch, the slider, drew seven whiffs from nine swings.

"That was sick. He did unbelievable," India said. "That was spectacular pitching. He hit all his spots and he was keeping them off balance. He did a hell of a job, so kudos to him."

The 31-year-old Lively, who was summoned from Triple-A Louisville, has a 2.45 ERA through three games. His first two appearances were from the bullpen.

Lively’s outing was something Bell was more than happy to talk about.

“Ben has good stuff," Bell said. "He’s been doing this a long time. He’s worked hard in Triple-A to continue to get better to earn this opportunity, and he’s stepped right in. He’s pitching like he has nothing to lose. He’s not backing down."

Two batters into the evening, Lively left a 2-2 fastball up and over the plate that Aaron Judge pummeled to right-center field for a no-doubt solo home run and a 1-0 Yankees lead.

"That was literally the one pitch where I just tried to throw a strike and not really rip it through," Lively said.

Anthony Rizzo followed with a single, but Lively found his rhythm and retired the next 16 Yankees in a row. That included Judge to end the top of the third inning. On another 2-2 fastball, Lively was able to touch the outside portion of the plate for a called strikeout.

"My intensity is what gets me through," Lively said. "If I throw a pitch with intent, that’s usually going to be a better result."