A remorseful Edwin Diaz gets a save for the Mets in the first game after his suspension

PITTSBURGH – Edwin Diaz apologized to his Mets teammates when he realized he would be suspended 10 games for violating MLB’s sticky substance rule.

“I apologized to the guys because I left them for 10 games and it was actually 11 games because I didn’t pitch that day,” Diaz said Saturday. “After that, everyone was behind me. They supported me. Everything was good.”

In his return, Diaz threw a no-run in the ninth inning – with a hit batter – to preserve the Mets’ 5-2 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park.

Before the game, Diaz protested his innocence and said there was no reason for him to change his methodology.

The right-hander said he used a mixture of rosin, sweat and dirt when he was ejected from the field at Wrigley Field on June 23 for a foreign substance on his right hand before he had even thrown a pitch.

“I’m going to do the same thing — I had nothing that day,” Diaz said. “I’m going to do the same thing. I’m going to rub rosin, dirt and sweat. That way I’ll get traction on my ball and I’m going to keep doing the same thing.”

How will Diaz ensure that something like this does not happen again?

“I’m going to carry on as I’ve always done,” he said. “I think I should be fine.”

He was checked by the referees as he entered the game that day, who said it was a standard check.

Instead of appealing the suspension, which would have meant presenting his case to MLB officials, the right-hander decided to accept the penalty and begin his suspension immediately.

Diaz was asked why, if he was innocent, he had waived his appeal.

“To turn the tide,” Diaz said. “I talked to the coaches and if we appeal, I might have to wait another three or four days and then get a 10-game suspension. We wanted to move forward, so I started from Day 1.”

Diaz is among the Mets pitchers who have been suspended for foreign substance violations over the past two seasons, along with Max Scherzer and Drew Smith.

The Mets reached a 5-5 record with Diaz suspended.

Most notably, they struggled to get outs in the late innings last weekend when they lost two games to the Astros.

And then there was a loss to the Nationals on Wednesday where the bullpen played a role.

“It was tough because I was supposed to be there,” Diaz said. “I was trying to support them from the outside … every time I came to the game, I was rooting for them to get the outs and win.”

To stay in shape, Diaz competed against other hitters in live batting practice twice last week.

After returning from a stint on the injured list last month due to a shoulder impingement, the right-hander had four scoreless appearances for the Mets before the suspension.

Before that, Diaz was on a hellish May in which he wasted four of his five save chances and said he was struggling with a loss of confidence.

Diaz missed all of last season rehabbing from surgery after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee during a celebration at the World Baseball Classic.

“Today I did my job,” Diaz said. “I just want to keep doing my job and help this team win.”