MLB announced Thursday that they suspended New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer for 10 games. Scherzer was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers for allegedly using a foreign substance. While he initially planned to appeal the suspension, he later decided against it. He claimed that having an MLB arbiter review his case rather than a “neutral” one would create an unfair process. The suspension will likely cost Scherzer his next two turns in the rotation.
Max Scherzer says he is not appealing his suspension because the appeal would have been through an MLB arbiter and not a neutral arbiter pic.twitter.com/MilwDf9Ebi
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 21, 2023
Max Scherzer Suspended 10 Games
Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi issued Scherzer multiple warnings about the stickiness of his glove on Wednesday. It started in the second inning, with Scherzer eventually having to change gloves. Between the third and fourth innings, the umpires huddled and decided whatever he had on his glove and hand was too sticky to be legal. They tossed Scherzer, despite his pleas that it was merely “rosin and sweat.”
Even if it was rosin, which is an everyday substance used by pitchers in MLB, its overuse can be deemed illegal. A recent memo from the league stated that it is not supposed to be applied anywhere but on the mound with the rosin bag. If, as it appeared, Scherzer applied an excessive amount in the dugout, it could explain the ejection and subsequent suspension.
Spoke to source today who says Scherzer has “zero chance” of avoiding mandatory 10-game suspension from ejection. Source notes that 2023 MLB memo explicitly says rosin can be deemed an illegal substance if overused. That it’s not supposed to be applied anywhere but on the mound.
— John Harper (@NYNJHarper) April 20, 2023
Losing Scherzer is a big blow to an already shorthanded Mets rotation. With Justin Verlander yet to pitch this season, this means they are down yet another future Hall of Famer. But despite the delicate state of the pitching staff, the Mets are holding their own so far. They eventually held on for a 5-3 win following Scherzer’s ejection, following it up with a 9-4 win over the San Francisco Giants Thursday night. New York is now second in the NL East at 13-7, 1 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves. With Max Scherzer suspended, they will have to hope they can stay close over the next two weeks.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned: Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander
