Tigers pitcher Casey Mize calls out umpire for making him change his glove

Tigers pitcher Casey Mize was told his glove was illegal not because of foreign substances. Instead, it was due to its color.

After one inning of work in Tuesday’s Tigers-Royals matchup, Detroit starter Casey Mize was confronted by home plate umpire John Tumpane. Given the nature of Spider Tack and other foreign substances which MLB is cracking down on, that would be the first assumption. Only that wasn’t the issue. Tumpane informed Mize he needed to change his glove due to its light-grey color, which can be seen as a distraction to hitters.

Pitchers aren’t allowed to wear any type of white, bright, multicolored sleeves, or arm accessories of any kind. The same can be applied to glove color which may interfere and camouflage the ball during their delivery.

Mize was unhappy with the decision and felt it was a coincidence with MLB’s recent rule changes. and warnings.

Despite having to change the glove he’s used the entire season, Mize managed to get the win after allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one through 6.2 innings pitched.

Tigers pitcher Casey Mize won’t be the last pitcher confronted by umpires

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Tumpane, but I’d imagine it’s a sign of things to come for MLB pitchers due to the new protocols. Just what and how umpires will be trained to call out or inspect pitchers for suspected foreign substance use remains to be seen.

The reactions from a pitcher wrongly accused of cheating won’t go over to well. There have already been a number of current and past players who have weighed in regarding the decision by commissioner Rob Manfred to lay down the law.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow cites the recent changes have impacted him so much, it resulted in him suffering a torn UCL in his latest outing. In Manfred’s defense, he did issue statements on March 23, saying the league would begin to investigate on foreign substance use.

That being said, not everyone follows the rules and haven’t for quite some time in the sport of baseball. Instead of implementing the strict policy before the start of the regular season, Manfred decided to wait until June.