LOS ANGELES — For more than a minute on Wednesday afternoon, Max Scherzer sparred with home plate umpire Dan Bellino and crew chief Phil Causey, his right hand outstretched for most of the exchange. As Mets manager Buck Showalter stood by him, Scherzer pleaded his case, telling the umpires over and over that he uses nothing more than rosin to control baseball.
He then fired Cuzzi Scherzer, leaving the Mets with a stalemate that could last after their 5-3 victory over the Dodgers.
Asked after the match what Cousy had said to him, Scherzer told reporters, “He said my hands are very sticky.”
Scherzer adamantly maintained that he was not using anything but rosin.
“I said, I swear on my children’s lives, I don’t use anything else,” he said. “This is arak and rosin. Arak and rosin.” I keep saying it over and over, and they touch my hand and say it’s sticky. Yes it is, because it is sweat and pills. “
“I said this to Buck and Max, it didn’t really matter to us,” Causey told a reporter. “All we know is that it was much, much harder than anything we’ve ever felt, certainly today and anything this year.”
Scherzer first met Bellino midway through the second inning for a routine adhesive check, which has been part of MLB protocol since 2021. When Scherzer returned for the third time, the umpiring staff told him to replace his glove with a new one, which Scherzer did before retiring the team in order.
When Scherzer came back down the fourth, he was again stopped by the umpires, and began to passionately argue his case. In the end, Cuzzi, the first base umpire, threw him out, prompting additional calls from Scherzer before Showalter directed him away from the scrimmage.
“In terms of stickiness and stickiness level, this was the hardest since I’ve been checking hands, which now goes back three seasons,” Bellino told a reporter at the pool.
Jimmy Yacabonis came in on relief from Scherzer and was given unlimited warm-up time due to the sudden departure of Scherzer, who had not been allowed to run more than three innings in his first start since dealing with a minor bout of lumbago. When Brandon Nemo hit the go-ahead off of former teammate Noah Syndergaard in the fifth inning, the Mets got their nod from the visitors’ dugout.
This wasn’t Scherzer’s first disagreement with the judges over a goop check. In 2021 with the Nationals, Scherzer threw his hat to the ground, unbuckled his belt and began pulling his pants off in exasperation after Phillies manager Joe Girardi called for multiple checks of materials from the dugout. After that game, Scherzer discussed at length his legal process for using sweat and rosin to control baseballs on the mound.
Wednesday was the fourth such blow in Scherzer’s career, but the first time he had been hurled while actively involved in a match. The outfield crunch stressed the Mets, who were already managing injuries to rotation members Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana and Carlos Carrasco. This has forced New York to rely more heavily than usual on its medium relievers while making roster moves almost daily to keep it fresh.
The problem could be exacerbated if MLB determines that Scherzer was indeed using stickies illegally. He faces a possible 10-game suspension if the league rules against him, but he can appeal. According to league guidelines, it is legal for pitchers to use rosin on their wrist and forearm to “help manage sweat,” but they are prohibited from applying it to gloves and uniforms. Combining rosin with any other foreign substance, such as sunscreen, is also illegal.
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