Vincent Frank
New York Mets ace pitcher Max Scherzer was tossed from his start after three inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday afternoon.
The three-time Cy Young winner got into it with umpires on the scene in Southern California after being thrown out of the game for allegedly using a foreign substance. This came after the same umps forced Scherzer to change gloves earlier in the game.
One day later, and MLB has handed Scherzer a 10-game suspension due to evidence that he did indeed use a foreign substance against his former Dodgers team.
“MLB reviewed relevant video and first-person reports, including 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.”
MLB statement on Max Scherzer suspension
It must be noted that Scherzer is appealing the suspension. He will not have to sit out games until a decision on the appeal is made by the powers that be within MLB.
Scherzer was seen repeatedly telling umpires that the substance was “sweat and rosin” after his ejection. Following the game, the future first ballott Hall of Famer swore on his “kid’s lives” that he wasn’t using anything else.
Max Scherzer stats (2023): 2-1 record, 3.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 7.9 K/9
The 38-year-old Scherzer is again slated to start Tuesday against his former Washington Nationals team. After that, his next turn on the bump would have been April 30 against the NL-best Atlanta Braves.
It remains to be seen how this is all going to play out. But we certainly have some more drama during the early part of the 2023 MLB season.
