Mets Ace Max Scherzer Ejected After Sticky Substance Checks

Baseball’s foreign substance crackdown may have claimed its highest-profile offender yet.

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.

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. 


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .