A day after being ejected from his start against the Dodgers for pitching with a foreign substance, Mets ace Max Scherzer has been suspended 10 games by MLB, the league announced Thursday.
Scherzer was also issued a $10,000 fine, and is planning on appealing the decision, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Scherzer was checked by umpires twice before being tossed from Wednesday’s game. During an interaction with first base umpire Phil Cuzzi, the right-hander pleaded his case, arguing that the substance on his glove and hand was merely sweat and rosin.
In a statement, MLB detailed its account of what transpired that led to Scherzer’s ejection, stating that umpires had instructed Scherzer to wash his hands earlier in the game, but that a later check revealed a sticky substance in his glove.
“After being checked at the conclusion of the second inning, Mr. Scherzer was told to wash his hands prior to returning for the next inning, and that he would be inspected again prior to the third inning,” the statement read, per The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. “When Mr. Scherzer was inspected prior to pitching in the third inning, the umpires found that his pitching hand was clean, but found a sticky substance in the pocket of his glove, and Mr. Scherzer was told to replace his glove.”
MLB’s explanation of Scherzer’s 10-game suspension… pic.twitter.com/hk8OWs049C
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 20, 2023
Ultimately, umpires determined that the substance found on Scherzer’s hand and glove was more than simply sweat and rosin.
“The umpires inspected Mr. Scherzer for a final time when he was waling to the mound to pitch in the fourth inning, and found that Mr. Scherzer’s throwing hand was even more glossy and sticky than it was during the second inning inspection, despite not yet even throwing a pitch,” the statement read. “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.”
