New York Mets ace Max Scherzer He faces a possible 10-game suspension after he was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers following a substance check in the fourth inning where umpires found a sticky substance on his hand.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner was kicked out of the game after repeated checks by referee Phil Cuzzi and Dan Bellino, the crew chief.
New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer and manager Buck Showalter dispute a call from umpire Phil Cuzzi, center, and umpire Dan Bellino during the fourth inning in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Scherzer explained that he simply used rosin and washed his hands with alcohol after the second inning after Cuzzi’s inspection. But, in the third inning, Cuzzi noticed that the pitcher’s glove was still «sticky», likely from too much resin, and ordered Scherzer to change gloves.
METS’ MAX SCHERZER SAYS HE HAD ONLY SWEAT AND ROSIN ON HIS HANDS: ‘I SWEAR ON THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN’
After another check before the quarter and a heated conversation with the referees, Scherzer was finally sent off.
«After that third inning, I’m in front of the MLB Official that’s under here. I wash my hand with alcohol in front of the officer. I then apply rosin and then grab the sweat. When I go back outside and Phil Cuzzi says my hand is too sticky,» Scherzer said.
Mets starter Max Scherzer reacts after being ejected from a Dodgers game Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
«Yes, when you use sweat and rosin, your hand is sticky. But I don’t understand how I get thrown out when I’m in front of an MLB official doing exactly what you want and my hand is deemed too sticky when I’m using legal substance. No I understand that.»
Scherzer now faces a possible 10-game suspension.
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«Now it’s becoming a legal matter and I don’t want to comment on what happens next if I get suspended and all that,» he said.
Scherzer will have the ability to appeal any suspension. MLB pitchers Hector Santiago and Caleb Smith appealed their suspensions in 2021 after they were deemed to have been using a foreign substance. The suspensions of Santiago and Smith were eventually upheld by MLB. According to the New York Post, Cuzzi was involved in both ousters.
Max Scherzer of the New York Mets reacts after his ejection by referee Phil Cuzzi at Dodger Stadium on April 19, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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«Both Phil and I touched his hand,» Bellino said via a pool reporter. «In terms of tack, the level of tack, this was the stickiest since I’ve inspected the hands, which now goes back three seasons.»
He continued: «Compared to the first entry, the stickiness level was so sticky that when we touched his hand, our fingers would stick to his hand. And whatever was on there stayed on our fingers after a couple of entries, where you could still feel the fingers sticking together.»
Scherzer had thrown three scoreless innings of one-hit ball before his early exit.
Associated Press contributed to this report.