New York Mets right-hander Max Scherzer has been suspended for 10 games by Major League Baseball in accordance with the rules governing grip-enhancing substances, the league announced Thursday.
Scherzer, who was also slapped with a fine, told reporters he will not appeal because he doesn't believe he can have the decision overturned. As such, he will begin serving his suspension on Thursday night and be eligible to return to the rotation in time to face the rival Atlanta Braves on May 1. The timing means that Scherzer will miss only one start during the suspension. Here are his remarks on his decision not to appeal:
And:
Scherzer was ejected from his start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers after having several interactions with umpires during the customary between-inning hand checks. Scherzer, 38, claimed that he had used only a combination of sweat and rosin to improve tactness. He was informed after the third inning by umpire Phil Cuzzi that he needed to wash his hands and reapply the rosin. He claimed that he did so, but that his hands became sticky in response to being washed with alcohol. (Scherzer said he washed his hands and reapplied his rosin in front of an MLB official.) He also claimed he was told to switch gloves, since the original one had too much rosin present on it. Scherzer was then checked again after the fourth inning, at which point he was ejected for having a sticky hand.
"This was the stickiest [a hand] has been since I've been inspecting hands, which goes back three seasons," crew chief Dan Bellino told a pool reporter. "It was so sticky that when we touched his hand, our fingers were sticking to his hand."
Scherzer, for his part, could be spotted on the broadcast yelling that it was "just rosin" on his hands. He continued to contend as much after the game, telling reporters: "When you use sweat and rosin your hand is sticky. But I don't get how I get ejected when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly, exactly what you want and being deemed that my hand's too sticky when I'm using a legal substance. I do not understand that."
The MLB release announcing the suspension recounted the events as follows:
MLB reviewed relevant video and first-person reports, including a report from the umpiring crew led by Crew Chief Dan Bellino. Despite having been warned earlier in the game, including being required to make an equipment change, Mr. Scherzer was found to be in violation of the foreign substance prohibitions of the Official Baseball Rules prior to the bottom of the fourth inning. After being checked at the conclusion of the second inning, Mr. Scherzer was told to wash his hands prior to returning for the next inning, and that he would be inspected again prior to the third inning. When Mr. Scherzer was inspected prior to pitching in the third inning, the umpires found that his pitching hand was clean, but found a sticky substance in the pocket of his glove, and Mr. Scherzer was told to replace his glove. The umpires inspected Mr. Scherzer for a final time when he was walking to the mound to pitch in the fourth inning, and found that Mr. Scherzer's throwing hand was even more glossy and sticky than it was during the second inning inspection, despite not yet even throwing a pitch. Based on the umpires' training to detect rosin on a pitcher's hands, they concluded that the level of stickiness during the fourth inning check was so extreme that it was inconsistent with the use of rosin and/or sweat alone. Both umpires reported difficulty removing the substance from their own hands for multiple innings afterward. Consistent with the Official Baseball Rules, the umpires then appropriately ejected Mr. Scherzer from the game.
As well, the league release, regarding the use of rosin by pitchers, notes that:
As recently as March 16, 2023, all 30 Clubs were reminded that, "(P)layer use of rosin always must be consistent with the requirements and expectations of the Official Baseball Rules. When used excessively or otherwise misapplied (i.e., to gloves or other parts of the uniform), rosin may be determined by the umpires to be a prohibited foreign substance, the use of which may subject a player to ejection and discipline. See OBR 3.01 and OBR 6.02(d). Moreover, players may not intentionally combine rosin with other substances (e.g., sunscreen) to create additional tackiness."
Umpire Phil Cuzzi has been involved in other sticky-stuff ejections in the past. It was Cuzzi who tossed both Hector Santiago and Caleb Smith during the 2021 season. Both ended up being hit with 10-game bans as a result.
Pitchers tend to use grip-enhancing substances to improve their control as well as improve their spin rates. It's perhaps notable that Scherzer's spin rates were not elevated across the board during Wednesday's game, according to Statcast. His fastball was up 68 rpm, and both his curveball (18) and slider (5) showed modest upticks, yet his changeup and cutter both had spin rates below their seasonal averages.
MLB signaled back during the spring that it would again crack down on the use of sticky substances. The league first instituted the current guidelines against grip-enhancers during June of the 2021 season as a means of curbing the rampant usage of Spider Tack, pine tar, and similar adhesives. Just last week, New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán was instructed to wash his hands because umpires felt he was using too much rosin. "This was not an ejectable offense because we didn't feel it rose to the foreign substance standard where it affected his pitching," umpire James Hoye told NJ.com.
Coincidentally, Scherzer was one of the first pitchers to make a public show in response to the checkdowns, removing his belt in a gesture toward then-Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi.
Scherzer has posted a 3.72 ERA (112 ERA+) and a 1.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio across four starts this season. His present walk rate (4.2 per nine innings) would represent the highest of his 16-year big-league career.
Scherzer's absence will stretch an already thin Mets rotation. New York is currently without Justin Verlander, José Quintana, and Carlos Carrasco because of injuries. Verlander, at least, is expected to return sooner than later.
