Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn was ejected from his start on Wednesday night against the Oakland Athletics after he tossed his belt to umpires from the dugout during a foreign-substance inspection, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Lynn came off the mound quickly as third-base umpire Nic Lentz was trying to engage him for a normal inspection of his hat, glove and belt for sticky stuff. Lynn would leave his hat and glove on the dugout railing, but not his belt.
“He was late getting over, so I left my glove and my hat, and then while I was going down in the dugout, trying to see the trainers because I’m dealing with something, he yells at me that he needs to see my belt,” Lynn said following the game.
“So I toss it up and then he throws me out.”
Lynn potentially could be facing a suspension now.
“I can’t speak for the umpires and the league and how they look at that,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “I hope not.”
“Obviously, I hurt his feelings,” Lynn said of Lentz. “He threw me out because I tossed my belt, and I said, ‘Well, if you were on time, we wouldn’t have this problem.’
“I wish I could have gone deeper. I didn’t get that opportunity. It was taken from me.”
