Why did umpire Vic Carapazza send Justin Steele to the dugout? Explanation behind Cubs pitcher's hand inspection
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele was sent to the dugout to wash his hands by umpire Vic Carapazza after an elaborate discussion regarding the rosin in his hands.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were 2-0 up in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday when the officials conducted a thorough check of the pitcher's hands before saking him to wash his hands. In a similar incident earlier this year, New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz was ejected from a game and given a 10-game suspension.
After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell revealed the discussion among the umpires:
“They thought he had rosin on his non-pitching hand, which you’re not allowed to have rosin on your non-pitching hand. So they just asked him to take it off. He took it off – no big deal.”
Justin Steele was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 MLB Draft before making his major league debut in 2021, after seven years in the minors.
He has since become a regular in their starting rotation, recording his best season in 2023 and earning a call in the All-Star game. The 29-year-old made his 22nd start of the season on Tuesday and recorded his fifth win.
Steele underwent a nervous moment when a sticky substance in his hands was inpected by the umpires during the third inning on Tuesday. It was ultimately determined that the substance was a residue of rosin and sweat, which is legal in the MLB.
While it's illegal to have rosin on the non-pitching hand, the umpires decided that the residue was not enough to eject him and allowed him to continue after washing it off.
Justin Steele opens up on nervous moments during hand inspection vs Pirates
The Chicago Cubs and Justin Steele remember very when Edwin Diaz was ejected in a game against them for having an illegal substance on his hands earlier this year.
Hence, the Cubs pitcher was undertsandably nervous when the umpires had a long discussion after inspecting his hands during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the game, he said:
“Yeah, you could probably see me shaking... I was scared to death, honestly.”
Nonetheless, his hands were examined at the beginning of every inning from that point onwards, and the umpired determined that there was nothing illegal. Justin Steele eventually went on to pitch five innings and earn his fifth win of the MLB season, allowing two runs and recording six strikeouts on the night.