A Furious Max Scherzer Lit Into Umps After Being Ejected Over Sticky Substance

It took a couple years, but baseball’s sticky stuff crackdown has nailed its highest-profile offender yet.

Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was ejected in between the third and fourth inning of New York’s game against the Dodgers Wednesday afternoon after appearing to fail a foreign substance check.

Scherzer had been cruising along, fanning three while giving up a hit and two walks in three innings pitched. In between innings, he engaged in an animated discussion with the umpiring crew and was tossed after a lengthy conversation.

The three-time Cy Young winner appeared to repeatedly shout “it’s just rosin,” which is a legal substance under MLB rules — a statement corroborated by SNY dugout reporter Steve Gelbs.

Max Scherzer was ejected between innings after a heated conversation with the umpiring crew pic.twitter.com/mqMkOnzchb

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 19, 2023

I’m sure Scherzer will have a lot to say about this post-game, but he was adamant with the umpires that he was simply using the rosin provided by MLB. Nothing else.

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 19, 2023

MLB began a protracted crackdown on foreign substances, known colloquially by the umbrella term “sticky stuff”, in the summer of 2021. Early violators included then-Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago and then-Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith, both of whom incurred suspensions.