Joel Peralta Suspended Eight Games for Pine Tar Incident, Will Appeal Ruling

Major League Baseball handed Rays reliever Joel Peralta an eight-game suspension on Thursday. Peralta has chosen to appeal the decsion handed down by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

On Tuesday night Nationals manager Davey Johnson asked umpires to check Peralta’s glove for a foreign substance. Turns out that there was pine tar on Peralta’s glove, which is a violation of league rules, and he was immediately ejected. Pine tar can give a pitcher a major advantage, as they can get a better grip on the baseball.

Rays’ manager Joe Madden was upset with Johnson for even asking the umpires to check Peralta’s glove. Later that night in an interview he called Johnson’s move “cowardly”.

With Peralta choosing to appeal his eight game suspensions he is still available in the Rays’ bullpen until the appeal is heard by the MLB.