On Wednesday, the New York Mets received a tough blow during their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers when their ace, right-hander Max Scherzer, was ejected from the game after umpires discovered a foreign substance on his hands.
Scherzer claimed that it was rosin before walking off the mound.
The Mets ultimately won the game over the Dodgers by a final score of 5-3 and secured a series victory.
After the game, the umpires were asked about what could potentially have been on Scherzer’s hands.
One commented that the evidence was pretty concrete and stated that when they checked his hands, their fingers were sticking to his.
The umpires believe evidence is clear: ‘It was so sticky that when we touched his hand, our fingers were sticking to his hand. And whatever was on there remained on our fingers (for a couple innings) … It was far more than we had ever seen before on a pitcher in live action."
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 19, 2023
The umpiring crew stated that there was blatantly obvious evidence and that whatever was on Scherzer’s hands remained on their fingers for the next few innings.
It was also stated by the umpiring crew that this was much more than they had ever seen on a pitcher before.
Scherzer was tossed from the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after allowing just one run against the Dodgers.
Now, it is very likely that the veteran right-hander will face an automatic 10-game suspension.
Such is the punishment these days for a pitcher who is caught with a foreign substance on their hands.
If Scherzer is indeed suspended, the Mets will be in a difficult spot, as teams are not allowed to replace suspended players on their roster when pitchers are ejected for having foreign substances on their hands.
The Mets are also currently without Justin Verlander.
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