Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zach Eflin was nearly tossed over wanting to wear his wedding ring in Thursday’s 3-2 win against the Pirates.
Eflin — the former Phillies starter, who signed with Tampa Bay in December — was forced to remove the black rubber ring on his glove hand one inning into the contest if he wanted to stay in the game.
The pitcher was seen discussing the matter with crew chief Adrian Johnson and Rays manager Kevin Cash on the mound, and eventually removed the ring.
Eflin put the ring in his pocket before he put it on his necklace, according to ESPN.
Eflin and his wife, Lauren, who welcomed identical twin girls in March, tied the knot in December 2020 in a backyard wedding at their neighbor’s house.
The situation didn’t seem to rattle Eflin, who delivered seven shutout innings in the win to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Pirates.
The 28-year-old Eflin, who has worn his wedding ring on the mound in prior contests, said most umpires are “cool” with him keeping his ring on — but this crew was “a little different.”
“This is the first crew that’s really given me trouble about taking the ring off,” Eflin said after the game.
“This umpire crew was kind of a little different. They seemed a little on edge. It’s part of it. I said, ‘If you’re going to eject me out of the game then I’ll take it off,’ and that’s what they ended up coming out and telling me on the mound.”
In March, Major League Baseball sent a memo to all teams and players informing there would be increased efforts this season to crack down on pitchers’ use of illegal substances.
According to ESPN, the memo, which was approved by the league’s on-field committee, stated there would be “randomized checks of fingers (including removal of rings worn on either hand of pitchers), hands, hats, gloves, belts/waistlines, and pants.
“Pitchers may be subject to checks before or after innings in which they pitch, and managers may make inspection requests of a pitcher or position player either before or after an at-bat.”
The Eflin situation came a day after Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton was ejected for arguing about how the pitch clock was operating.
On Thursday, several Pirates complained about plate umpire Manny Gonzales’ strike zone.
Last month, Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was suspended for 10 games by MLB after he was ejected for having a foreign substance on his hand during a 5-3 victory against the Dodgers.
Eflin and his wife, Lauren, announced they were expecting in March 2021 and welcomed their first daughter, Ashton, in October of that year.
After the Phillies won the NLCS in October 2022, Lauren took to Instagram to announce that the couple was expecting identical twins.
They welcomed daughters Hallie and Austen on March 23, 2023.
After the Phillies lost to the Astros in the 2022 World Series, Eflin declined his end of the mutual option for 2023 season and became a free agent for the first time in his career.
Eflin signed a three-year, $40 million contract with Tampa Bay in December 2022 — the largest free agent deal in Rays history.
The Rays host the Yankees for a three-game series, beginning Friday.
