Global Courant 2023-04-25 06:30:12
The ejection of New York Mets starter Max Scherzer in his most recent start against the Los Angeles Dodgers has sparked much debate about the use of rosin for pitchers in Major League Baseball.
Scherzer said he “swears on the lives of my kids” that he used a strange substance that led referee Phil Cuzzi to throw him off his performance after feeling his hands were too sticky to continue throwing.
Scherzer claimed he only used rosin and sweat, and despite trying to give up the stickiness with an alcohol wash supervised by an MLB official, Cuzzi still threw him out of the game.
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Former MLB player David Cone reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to game two of the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 14, 2022 in New York, New York. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Former MLB pitcher and current broadcaster David Cone decided to conduct a little experiment for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” game between the Mets and San Francisco Giants, using MLB’s “rock rosin” to see how sticky fingers get as pitchers using it.
The experiment shows that Scherzer has a case.
“We did a little experiment before the game and I had the rosin bag there. That’s the rock rosin,” Cone said. “I didn’t have too much sweat to work with, but even with just the rock resin it got tacky. Then I went to the alcohol to show you, ‘Okay, I’ll take it off.’ I had a little discoloration from the resin.”
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Cone then showed how sticky his hand was after suggesting the alcohol.
“The alcohol sort of activates what’s left of the rosin,” he said.
Max Scherzer #21 of the New York Mets reacts after a callout by umpire Phil Cuzzi #10 during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Scherzer was not just thrown out of the game, but was also suspended for 10 games as a result. He decided not to appeal, reasoning that an MLB official would oversee the hearing.
Dan Bellino, who also umpired in the game Scherzer pitched in, explained why they threw him.
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“As for the level of stickiness, this was the stickiest since I’ve inspected the hands, which goes back three seasons,” Bellino said. “Compared to the first inning, the level of stickiness, it was so tacky that when we touched his hand, our fingers stuck to his hand, and whatever was on that then stayed on our fingers for a few innings where you still could feel the fingers sticking together.”
Scherzer’s side of the story seems to match Cone’s portrayal.
Former MLB player David Cone throws out the ceremonial first pitch for game two of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on October 14, 2022 in New York, New York. The Guardians defeated the Yankees 4-2 in ten innings. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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“I knew I would be checked in the fourth,” Scherzer said on Wednesday. “So I must be an absolute idiot for trying to do something when I come back for the fourth. I’m standing in front of the MLB official who sits underneath (near the dugout). I wash my hand with alcohol in front of the official. I then apply rosin and I then grabbed a sweat. Then I go back out and Phil Cuzzi says my hand is too sticky.”
Scott Thompson is a sportswriter for Fox News Digital.
