LOS ANGELES — When Max Scherzer was ejected for having what umpires deemed a foreign substance on his glove and pitching hand in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, the New York Mets right-hander claimed the sticky stuff was caused by a combination of legal rosin and sweat.
Plate umpire and crew chief Dan Bellino and first-base umpire Phil Cuzzi thought otherwise, so much so that Bellino called Scherzer's hand the "stickiest" he has ever felt in the three seasons umpires have been conducting more thorough checks of pitchers.
Los Angeles Times baseball writer Mike DiGiovanna served as the pool reporter to speak to the umpires after Wednesday's controversial ejection of Scherzer, a future Hall of Famer who has racked up 203 victories and 3,210 strikeouts in his illustrious 16-year career.
