The first player to get checked for foreign substances on the mound by MLB just happened to be the consensus best pitcher in baseball.
Following an eight-pitch, one-two-three inning to kick things off against the Atlanta Braves on Monday at Citi Field, umpires inspected New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom for any grip enhancers as he walked off the mound.
DeGrom seemed to handle it well, flashing a smile to his teammates as the umpires looked at his hat, glove and belt.
Monday marked the implementation of MLB's enhanced enforcement of previously existing rules regarding grip enhancers.