Sonny Gray rubs her back on the mound before round

The normal testing for foreign substances led to some strange moments – Max Scherzer’s near-belt tear, check pitcher position and such.

And now there’s Sonny Gray massaging her back on the mound.

Here’s what happened: the Cincinnati Reds pitcher hit the third round on Sunday and got some turpentine in his pants. So the Reds made sure to notify the umpire so Gray wouldn’t throw if he was found to have a foreign substance on him.

Instead of changing his pants, he asked to rub some dirt on them. And that’s how this scene came to be:

Sonny Gray has what is said to be turpentine on his pants so he rubs his butt on the cleft palate to remove it.

(through @PitchingNinja) pic.twitter.com/EGsZf3C4Ga

– Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 18, 2021

Wild stuff.