It took only seven days into the new crackdown on foreign substances for the first Major League Baseball pitcher to be ejected for having something sticky in his glove.

Although the rule has been in the books for decades, MLB announced that beginning June 21, a strict enforcement of its rules against applying foreign substances to the baseball would be put in place.

Here’s the rule, as stated in the MLB Rule Book, that has been in place since 1920:

Rule 3.01 states: “No player shall intentionally discolor or damage the ball by rubbing it with soil, rosin, paraffin, licorice, sand-paper, emery-paper or other foreign substance.”

The rule gives the umpire the power to remove any offenders from the game immediately and for the league to impose a 10-game suspension under Rule 3.01 and past precedent. The standard appeals process will be in place for foreign substance-related discipline and players will be paid during these suspensions.

Furthermore, additional clarification is made:

Rule 6.02 expands on 3.01 by stating, among other things, that a pitcher may not “apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball;” “deface the ball in any manner;” “throw a shine ball, spit ball, mud ball, or emery ball;” “have on his person, or in his possession, any foreign substance;” or “attach anything to his hand, any finger or either wrist (e.g., Band-Aid, tape, Super Glue, bracelet, etc.).”

Seems pretty cut and dry to me. There wouldn’t need to be any crack down if it weren’t for the fact that the rule hasn’t been enforced on a regular basis for years. So now, it’s become almost comical as pitchers are being checked as they take the mound, as the are pulled from the game, and sometimes between innings, and when an opposing manager requests for the umpires to check the pitcher.

It wasn’t very funny for Seattle Mariners left-hander Hector Santiago last Sunday when home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi determined there was something suspicious inside his glove. As Santiago was being replaced by a reliever in the fifth inning of the game against the White Sox, the umpires, as is now the custom, checked his glove, and thus ejected him from the game.

After the game, Santiago denied using an illegal substance.

“He (Cuzzi) said he felt some stuff sticky on the inside of the glove,” Santiago said. “All I use is rosin. I use it on both sides (of the glove), trying to keep that sweat from dripping down onto the hands.”

Do I believe him?

Sure. I can believe that it’s rosin. Many pitchers use rosin to eliminate sweat from their hands, and it’s perfectly legal.

Because of that, could there have been a lot of rosin in Santiago’s glove? Absolutely.

Does rosin mixed with sweat become tacky? Yes. So, he may have been using a legal substance, but maybe he was counting on the sweat mixture to become sticky and use it to his advantage while pitching. That’s certainly plausible, with his defense being, there’s not much he can do about his sweat mixing with the rosin in his glove.

In his mind, he may rationalize that he was using something that is permitted by MLB. It’s the intent and how he was using it for the MLB lab and commissioner to figure out.

Will MLB find any pitcher brazing enough to put Vaseline under the bill of their cap, or on the back of their neck?

Are there any pitchers out there today hiding a piece of emery board in their glove or back pocket?

I seriously doubt it.

But, will they continue to try to circumvent the rule and hope to not get caught? Without a doubt.