BOSTON — After his start against the Boston Red Sox on April 10, Michael Pineda’s denial that his hand was covered in pine tar was mostly disregarded as absurd. Television cameras clearly showed a brown substance, and no matter what Pineda claimed afterward, people recognized it for what it was: an illegal attempt to get a better grip on the baseball.

On Wednesday, there was no more room for denial — only dismay and frustration from the Yankees that he could be so reckless.

Pineda was ejected in the second inning, again against the Red Sox, for a roughly four-inch smear of goop on his neck. He faces a probable suspension from Major League Baseball.

“We’re scratching our head right now how that actually took place,” an exasperated Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, said after his team had lost, 5-1, at Fenway Park. “Clearly what took place in the second inning should not have taken place.”