A tweet Sunday alleged that Jacob deGrom uses foreign substances, and the New York Mets ace's teammates rushed to his defense in a chain of replies.
During Saturday's start against the San Diego Padres, deGrom appeared to touch his glove in what the Twitter user deemed a suspicious way, common among pitchers who keep pine tar or other substances in their gloves.
Mets catcher Tomas Nido caught wind of the tweet and defended the two-time Cy Young winner, saying hitters would be "lucky to even foul tip the ball" if deGrom used anything illegal.
Nido then tagged fellow Mets catcher James McCann, starting a chain of replies by deGrom's teammates. The most recent of those is from outfielder Kevin Pillar, who tagged team owner Steve Cohen.
Through nine starts, the 32-year-old deGrom looks to be the front-runner for his third Cy Young Award, authoring a sterling 0.62 ERA and 1.02 FIP.
Though deGrom is one of many pitchers thriving in a season of suppressed offensive numbers, Major League Baseball is reportedly preparing to crack down on more pitchers for using illegal substances to aid with grip and boost spin rates.