UPDATE 3: Sure enough, Max Scherzer has been suspended under the rules prohibiting the use of foreign substances. You can bet he’s going to appeal.
As you may recall, Scherzer cannot be replaced on the 26-man roster while suspended, so if he loses the appeal, the Mets will have to play 10 days shorthanded. All for rosin. Or maybe more, if you ask MLB …
*original post and updates follow*
Oh my. This is a big one. It’s going to get a lot of folks really angry, and a lot of others eating a lot of popcorn.
New York Mets ace Max Scherzer was just ejected from the game following an inspection for sticky stuff. He was NOT happy about it:
Although it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a sticky stuff ejection, the subject came under renewed scrutiny this spring with data last year suggesting usage was on the rise again. The ejection is supposed to be accompanied by a ten-game suspension, where the team cannot replace the player on the roster.
The previous inning, Scherzer had his glove thoroughly checked during a sticky stuff inspection, and then apparently had to change gloves, which is really weird:
That part was reminiscent of a recent issue involving Yankees starter Domingo German, where he was found to have hands that were too sticky from – allegedly – using rosin between innings. That’s not illegal, but he was instructed to wash his hands. I expect Scherzer is going to say the same thing was happening here, that it was just rosin.
I expect we’ll be hearing a LOT more about this one very soon.
UPDATE: Sure enough, Scherzer says it was nothing but rosin:
The umpires, of course, had a different perspective:
Honestly, I tend to believe them both! I believe that Scherzer was only using rosin and sweat, but I also believe he/the Mets had figured out a way to make that as sticky as possible. The problem, of course, is that rosin is legal. We’ll see what the league has to say about this one.
UPDATE 2: