Rays reliever Joel Peralta ejected for having foreign substance on glove

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Joel Peralta didn’t even get to throw a pitch in Tuesday’s game. As soon as he took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning, Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson asked the umpiring crew to check Peralta’s glove. The quartet converged near the mound, confiscated Peralta’s glove and ejected him for what crew chief Tim Tschida said was a “foreign substance on or in the glove.”

TheBigLead.com has video and stills from the telecast. Peralta can be seen tipping his cap toward the Nationals’ dugout as he walks off the field.

After the game, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweeted more details:

Umpires said they found significant amount of pine tar in #Rays Peralta's glove—
  (@RMooneyTrib) June 20, 2012

#Rays Peralta said he was using glove he uses during batting practice. Wouldn't say how pine tar got on glove.—
  (@RMooneyTrib) June 20, 2012

#Rays Maddon called it a "cowardly move" on part of Johnson. Upset Peralta will be called as a cheat for something a lot of pitches do—
  (@RMooneyTrib) June 20, 2012

Peralta pitched for the Nationals in 2010, including a stint at Triple-A Syracuse where his manager was current Washington first-base coach Trent Jewett.