Max Scherzer ejection: Mets ace tossed over sticky stuff inspection, insists mixture was ‘sweat and rosin’

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer was ejected from Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers (GameTracker) after umpires examined his glove and pitching hand following the third inning. It was the second time Scherzer was inspected in the game. The umpires had him swap out his glove for a new one an inning earlier. After the game, Mets manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Scherzer was ejected for having a sticky substance on his glove. Scherzer in his postgame interview insisted — on his “kids’ life” — that he was using nothing more than sweat and rosin, as is standard practice for pitchers. 

The television broadcasts showed what appeared to be Scherzer yelling “it’s rosin!” at umpire Phil Cuzzi and crew chief Dan Bellino immediately prior to the ejection. Here are Bellino and Cuzzi inspecting Scherzer’s pitching hand, Scherzer pleading his case, and then the ejection:

Pitchers ejected for foreign substances automatically receive a 10-game suspension, which can be appealed. While use of rosin by pitchers is permitted, it’s not allowed to be combined with another substance, applied to the pitcher’s glove, or used to discolor or damage the baseball. 

According to Scherzer, here’s the sequence of events: 

• The tackiness on his hand was “a little clumpy” from the sweat and rosin, and Cuzzi, following the bottom of the second, told him to wash it off. He did, using alcohol. 
• After the third, Cuzzi told Scherzer that his hand was “too sticky” and to wash his hands again and reapply the rosin, which Scherzer did. Scherzer post-game explained this by saying it was a consequence of washing his hands with alcohol: “The alcohol for a little bit there can be a little sticky in rosin-ing.” Cuzzi also told Scherzer to get a new glove because too much rosin was present on the glove. Scherzer complied and retrieved a new glove before taking the field for the bottom of the fourth.
• Scherzer said he washed his hands prior to the fourth in front of the MLB official present and then in front of that same official applied rosin and sweat. 
• Scherzer said that he knew he was going to be checked prior to working the fourth inning: “I would have to be an absolute idiot to try to do anything when I’m coming back out for the fourth.” 
• After being checked before the bottom of the fourth commenced, Scherzer was ejected because, in Cuzzi’s estimation, his hand was still too sticky. “Yes,”…