Max Scherzer was ejected Wednesday from the New York Mets’ game in Los Angeles against the Dodgers after home plate umpire Dan Bellino said Scherzer’s pitching hand was too sticky. Scherzer, one of the most outspoken critics of the way MLB has cracked down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances, became the third player ejected under the reinforced rules.
“As far as level of stickiness, this is the stickiest it’s been since I’ve been inspecting hands, which now goes back three seasons,” Bellino said.
On Thursday evening, MLB announced Scherzer would be suspended under the 10-game rules prescribed for a sticky stuff violation. Scherzer told reporters later Thursday he would not appeal the suspension.
“Based on the umpires’ training to detect rosin on a pitcher’s hands, they concluded that the level of stickiness during the fourth inning check was so extreme that it was inconsistent with the use of rosin and/or sweat alone. Both umpires reported difficulty removing the substance from their own hands for multiple innings afterward. Consistent with the Official Baseball Rules, the umpires then appropriately ejected Mr. Scherzer from the game,” Major League Baseball said in a longer-than-usual statement.
“As recently as March 16, 2023, all 30 Clubs were reminded that, ‘(P)layer use of rosin always must be consistent with the requirements and expectations of the Official Baseball Rules. When used excessively or otherwise misapplied (i.e., to gloves or other parts of the uniform), rosin may be determined by the umpires to be a prohibited foreign substance, the use of which may subject a player to ejection and discipline.’ ”
Most disciplinary announcements do not include so much justification. Most disciplinary announcements do not involve a player with the profile and propensity for argument as Scherzer.
The 38-year-old’s first encounter with Bellino came after the second inning, when he underwent what appeared to be a routine check for sticky substances. Scherzer said later that crew chief Phil Cuzzi told him to wash his hand because the rosin he was using had gotten “a little clumpy.”
“I checked his pitching hand; it was slightly sticky, a little tacky. And it was dark in color, which isn’t really a surprise,” Cuzzi told a pool reporter after the game. “When I looked at it and looked at him, he said: ‘No, it’s just rosin. I’m going to wash it off.’ I said, ‘Okay, you got to wash that off.’ ”
Scherzer Ejection.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 19, 2023
"It's Rosin" pic.twitter.com/6o3MGu21PI
Scherzer said he washed his hands with alcohol, then applied rosin again. He said alcohol and rosin can create a sticky mix, and when he went out for the third inning, Cuzzi told him his hand was still too sticky. He also told Scherzer there was something sticky in his glove, so Scherzer switched to a different glove. He pitched an uneventful third.
“I knew I was going to get checked in the fourth. I would have to be an absolute idiot to try to do anything when I’m coming back out in the fourth,” Scherzer said.
But when Scherzer headed to the mound for the fourth, the umpires stopped him again, and Cuzzi checked his hand.
“That’s when we realized the level of stickiness on his hand was much worse than it was even in the initial inspections two innings prior,” Bellino said. “ … It was far more than we had ever seen before on a pitcher in live action.”
Scherzer began yelling “It’s rosin!” and “Just rosin!” among other less print-worthy phrases. After about 30 seconds of yelling, Cuzzi tossed the three-time Cy Young winner. Cuzzi has accounted for all three of MLB’s ejections for using a foreign substance.
“He said my hand is too sticky. And I said: ‘I swear on my kid’s life I’m not using anything else. This is sweat and rosin,’ ” Scherzer told SNY and others later. “ … They say it’s too sticky, and they threw me out because of that.”
Full explanation from Max Scherzer on the incident this afternoon. He is adamant that he did nothing wrong. pic.twitter.com/JF5KF9D0qu
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 19, 2023
When MLB implemented its stepped-up foreign substance policy last season, it sent a memo to teams in which it reminded them specifically that rosin can qualify as a foreign substance if it is combined with another substance. Scherzer said openly that when Cuzzi asked him to wash his hands, he washed them with alcohol, in front of an MLB official, before reapplying rosin. He said he knew the combination of alcohol and rosin can get sticky.
“I don’t get how I get ejected when I’m in front of an MLB official, doing exactly — exactly — what you want, and being deemed my hand is too sticky when I’m using legal substances,” Scherzer said. “I do not understand that.”
Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras, told reporters after the game that MLB should mandate “an objective, verifiable standard” for how sticky a pitcher’s hand can be.
“If you want to attack the integrity of the competition, you need clear, precise standards, else you damage the game and its players,” Boras said. “The Cuzzi on-field spectrometer is not the answer.”
MLB rules dictate a player ejected for use of foreign substances must serve a 10-game suspension.
“Sweat and rosin. I keep saying it, over and over,” Scherzer said. “They touch my hand. They say it’s sticky. I say, ‘Yes, it is, because it’s sweat and rosin.’ ”