The Mets entered play Tuesday night in a troubling situation, losers of eight of nine.
Now, their predicament has gotten even stickier.
Reliever Drew Smith was ejected when trying to enter in the top of the seventh inning of a game the Mets were trailing, 7-6, which ended up as the final score.
Facing the Yankees at Citi Field, the 29-year-old righty jogged in from the bullpen and was intercepted nearby the mound for what appeared to be a routine check.
Smith appeared to fail the examination, drawing a crowd of players, umpires and manager Buck Showalter.
Umpire Bill Miller, right, ejects Mets reliever Drew Smith, center, during the seventh inning of their game against the Yankees. AP
Drew Smith was thrown out even before he threw a pitch in the seventh inning. APSmith then was ejected, becoming the second Mets pitcher to do so this season.
John Curtiss entered instead.
Smith, who appeared to be disputing the stickiness, can appeal the suspension.
An ejection for a foreign substance carries an automatic 10-game suspension, in which the player’s roster spot cannot be replaced.
Max Scherzer was suspended 10 games in April for failing a sticky substance check.
