Max Scherzer ejected because his hands were too sticky, a breakdown

MLB

What Happened

New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer takes the mound against an unknown opponent in the early innings of the game. In the first inning, Scherzer navigates through some trouble but escapes the jam with his impressive mix of pitches. As Scherzer takes the mound in the second inning, he continues to dominate, mixing his fastball up high and then dropping in a nasty curveball. After the inning, Scherzer walks off the mound and has a conversation with the home plate umpire. Scherzer explains that his hand was "a little clumpy" from the rosin and sweat, so he washed it off with alcohol as instructed. However, the umpire still felt Scherzer's glove had too much rosin, so Scherzer is told to get a new glove. Scherzer returns to the mound in the third inning and continues his strong outing, striking out a batter with a well-placed curveball. In the fourth inning, Scherzer knows he'll be checked again, so he proactively washes his hand with alcohol in front of the umpire and doesn't apply any rosin. When Scherzer returns to the mound, the umpire tells him his hand is still too sticky. Scherzer adamantly insists it's just rosin and sweat, pleading "I promise on my life that is literally rosin. It's rosin and sweat." The umpire, Dan Bellino, tells Scherzer that the stickiness level is the highest he's seen in his three seasons of inspecting hands, and that there was likely something more than just rosin involved. Ultimately, the umpires eject Scherzer from the game for having an illegal foreign substance on his person. As Scherzer walks off the field, he expresses his frustration with the situation and the umpire's decision. Mets manager Buck Showalter also voices his displeasure, but the ejection stands, and Scherzer is forced to leave the game. This confrontation between Scherzer and the umpires highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the use of foreign substances in baseball and the challenges pitchers face in maintaining proper grip and control of the baseball. The incident also raises questions about the enforcement and interpretation of the league's rules in this area.

Full Transcript

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in the first inning Max Shares are gone

a bit of trouble but escaped the gem

with that combination of pitches really

good one goes straight one Falls and the

second inning he went up top he went up