Brewers' Smith ejected after foreign substance discovered on right arm

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Will Smith stormed off the field Thursday night in Atlanta following his ejection in the seventh inning after crew chief Jim Joyce discovered a foreign substance on his non-throwing arm.

Smith inherited an unenviable situation when he was summoned from the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, his club trailing 2-1 with runners on second and third and only one out. The 25-year-old promptly hit pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco with an 0-2 pitch to load the bases, though, and his errant offering prompted Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez to ask the umpiring crew to check his right wrist.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

After a quick examination, Smith was ejected from the game without protest, though he did hurl a quick expletive towards the Braves dugout as he walked off the field.

"I had to kind of get ready in a hurry and I forgot (to remove the substance)," Smith told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the game.

Gonzalez, however, was unapologetic about asking the umpires to check Smith's arm.

"When [an opponent] tries to be that blatant, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do," Gonzalez told MLB.com.

Smith, who was replaced on the mound by fellow left-hander Neal Cotts, confirmed the illicit substance on his arm was a combination of rosin and sunscreen.

"I'm a competitor," Smith added. "You want to stay in the game and pitch. It was a big situation. I was pissed I got thrown out."