New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer announced that he will not be appealing his 10-game suspension related to alleged sticky substance use.
This past Wednesday, New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer was ejected over alleged sticky substance use on his pitching hand. One day later, MLB officially announced that Scherzer was suspended for 10 games, but he had the right to appeal it. Even though the expectation was that Scherzer would fight the 10-game ban to clear his name, that won’t be the case.
Ahead of the team’s game against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, Scherzer announced that he will not be appealing, and that he would serve the suspension immediately.
Scherzer said that he thought he was going to speak to a neutral arbitrator in the appeal process, but found out that that would not be the case and that it would instead go through the league. He said that he felt that he wasn’t going to win the case.
Scherzer’s comments come courtesy of SNY.
Max Scherzer announces that he won’t appeal 10-game suspension for alleged illegal foreign substance use
Scherzer continued, saying that the Mets’ upcoming schedule also played a role in his decision to not appeal. The ace said that if he were to serve the suspension immediately, he would be able to return and pitch against the Atlanta Braves in their upcoming four-game series from Apr. 28 until May 1.
Despite accepting the suspension, Scherzer said that it was an “extremely difficult decision,” noting that the rules implemented back in 2021 were expected to crack down on illegal foreign substances. Meanwhile, Scherzer said that he doesn’t think the rules were “intended to crack down on pitchers that were using legal substances,” and stressed that he was “using legal substances.”
During the Wednesday game, the Mets star was told to wash his hands, and then first base umpire Phil Cuzzi found a sticky substance on the inside of a pocket in his glove. Scherzer was then told to change his glove, which he did. But during the fourth inning, the umpiring crew once again checked him, and determined that his hand was still sticky.
Here is what MLB’s press release said of the final inspection that led to Scherzer’s ejection:
"“Based on the umpires’ training to detect rosin on a pitcher’s hands, they concluded that the level of stickiness during the fourth inning was so extreme that it was inconsistent with the use of rosin and/or sweat alone. Both umpires reported difficulty removing the substance from their own hands for multiple innings afterward. Consistent with the Official Baseball Rules, the umpires then appropriately ejected Mr. Scherzer from the game.”"
While speaking with pool reporter Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, crew chief Dan Bellino said that Scherzer’s hand was “the stickiest [a hand] has been since I’ve been inspecting hands, which now goes back three seasons.” Bellino also said this fingers were stuck to Scherzer’s hand when inspecting it.
Scherzer claimed that his hand was sticky due to rosin and sweat, swearing on his children’s lives. That, and that Scherzer said he would “have to be an absolute idiot” to use an illegal substance.
Rosin is a legal substance, per MLB rules, but it can’t be placed on the uniform or glove.
While all expectations were that Scherzer would fight the suspension, he discovered that it would be a losing battle, and with a tough schedule approaching, he decided to serve it immediately.