Max Scherzer ejection, explained: Why Mets pitcher was thrown out of game vs. Dodgers for sticky substance

Kevin Skiver

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Max Scherzer ejection, explained: Why Mets pitcher was thrown out of game vs. Dodgers for sticky substance image

Mets ace Max Scherzer was ejected from New York's game against the Dodgers on Wednesday after umpires determined that Scherzer's glove and hand were too sticky.

Scherzer was tossed before the bottom of the fourth inning in Los Angeles, one inning after being ordered to change gloves. Scherzer exited after having thrown three scoreless frames against LA.

MORE: Umps push back on Scherzer's rosin claim: stickiest hand they've seen

Why was Max Scherzer ejected from Mets vs. Dodgers?

Umpires Dan Bellino and Phil Cuzzi both said after the game that Scherzer's hand and glove were extremely sticky.

Scherzer was initially examined by Cuzzi after the second inning, which led to an animated exchange and an order to wash his hand. He was then told before the bottom of the third inning to get a new glove.

The Mets broadcast speculated that the change was ordered because Cuzzi's hand felt sticky after touching the inside of the glove.

After Scherzer got his second glove, he was tossed by Cuzzi during another check ahead of the home half of the fourth.

According to SNY's Steve Gelbs, Scherzer was yelling that he only had rosin on his hand, which is provided by MLB. 

Bellino did not believe Scherzer.

"There was something likely more than rosin, was so sticky it was all over the palm, up the inside of the fingers," Bellino told a pool reporter, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "The entire hand was stickier than anything we'd inspected before and was worse than second inning, when he was told to wash his hand."

Scherzer met with reporters postgame and insisted it was only a mixture of sweat and rosin.

"I said I swear on my kids' life I'm not using anything else," Scherzer said. 

Showalter said that Scherzer was ejected for having rosin on his glove.

"It's what the league provides for us, so if that's the case, then I think everyone is going to have a problem," Showalter told reporters. 

MORE: Yankees' Gerrit Cole stumbles over answer to sticky Spider Tack question

Scott Boras, Scherzer's agent, chimed in after the game and called for the league to require an "objective, verifiable standard" for foreign substance violations.

Why is MLB cracking down on 'sticky stuff'?

Hand checks on pitchers have been commonplace in MLB since March 2022, when the league issued a crackdown on "sticky stuff," prohibited substances — such as Spider Tack — that were being used by pitchers to increase spin rates on their pitches and make them, in theory, more difficult to hit.

MLB said in February that it would be more thorough in its checks in 2023. The new measures would include more random checks (the innings that checks would be made were fairly predictable in 2022), more thorough checks than the hand rub that was common last season, and a resumption of cap and glove checks that were employed in 2021 but were done away with in 2022.

MORE: Madison Bumgarner ejected after staredown with umpire Dan Bellino during sticky substance check

Cuzzi has been particularly thorough in his checks the past few years. He ejected Caleb Smith of the Diamondbacks in August 2021 after finding spots on Smith's glove. Smith claimed the sports were dirt. In June of that year, Cuzzi ejected Hector Santiago of the Mariners, also after a glove check. Both players received 10-day suspensions from MLB that were upheld on appeal. Scherzer will be facing a similar suspension.

Dan Treacy contributed to this report. This article has been updated with postgame comments and a clarification of the timeline of events.

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.