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MLB umpires have been cracking down on anything that could affect the spin rates of baseballs, apparently including wedding rings.
Tampa Bay Rays starter Zach Eflin said he was forced to take his ring off in the top of the second inning Thursday. Otherwise, he would have been ejected.
Eflin and umpire Adrian Johnson spoke on the mound, along with manager Kevin Cash and catcher Christian Bethancourt, which apparently was an unusual circumstance.
Eflin said umpires normally don't give him much of an issue.
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Zach Eflin of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Tropicana Field May 4, 2023, in St Petersburg, Fla. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
"It was the first crew that was really giving me trouble about taking the ring off," Eflin said after the game. "I've told every umpire that's asked me to take it off, I've said ‘Hey, I respect what you guys do, but I’m gonna keep it on. It's very important to me.' Most umpires are cool with it, and they'll kind of let MLB take care of it if they need to.
"But this umpire crew was a little different. They seemed a little on edge, but it's part of it. I said, 'If you’re gonna 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 was that they were gonna toss me out of the game if I didn't take off my rubber ring. So I took it off."
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Tropicana Field. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
The umpires are just doing their jobs, making sure that the ring didn't cause any scuffing of the ball, which could result in some unusual movement. Ring or not, Eflin still dominated.
Eflin tossed seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 10 without walking a batter.
Entering the season, Eflin had a 4.49 ERA in his first seven seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since joining the Rays, who have some secret sauce to pitching, he's allowed just seven earned runs in 28.0 innings for a 2.25 ERA.
Eflin married his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Dennen, in December 2020, and the couple has three kids, including twins born in March. The two grew up in Oviedo, Fla., but went to rival high schools in the town.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin, right, reacts after being hit by a ball against the Oakland Athletics in the sixth inning at Tropicana Field. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
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While Eflin was a first-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres, Dennen went to the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville.
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