Max Scherzer Was Unfairly Ejected

For a few seasons now, umpires check pitchers’ hands and gloves every inning looking for sticking items. Today when the New York Mets were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series finale, umpires tossed Mets ace, Max Scherzer. 

This is how it went down according to Scherzer.

When the umpires made Scherzer change his glove he did explain that it was rosin and sweat causing the problem. He then had a 1-2-3 inning, but he was mad. You could see it. Rules state the ejected pitcher is subjected to a 10-game suspension that can be appealed. But the real issue here is they didn’t find a foreign substance, they found an MLB-approved substance. 

This Case Could Get Messy 

The rosin bag has been around for a long time to help pitchers get a better grip on the ball. I see no problem with it, and neither does the league. But if the umpires push this for a 10-game suspension, I believe the players association will fight this and try and get the umpires to admit that this was a frivolous tossing that cost Scherzer a career win. The Mets did win the ballgame.  

The Umpires Have Too Much Power 

Umpires have too much influence over the outcome of baseball games, and I think with the new rules including the pitch clock they are overwhelmed, and I think it will affect the quality of future games. I think the umpires should check with New York before they decide they are going to toss a pitcher based on stickiness not based on the substance. Let them take a photo of the pitchers’ hands, send it to New York, and let them look at the evidence. I think it is a better way to do it. Right now, it’s very flimsy. 

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Buck Showalter Was Very Passive Regarding Scherzer 

When Scherzer got tossed, Showalter did get in between the player and the umpire, so it didn’t get more heated, but the missing part of this equation was the Mets manager not arguing with the umpire. He should have gotten mad, and he should have protested the game. Instead, he did nothing. If Showalter does argue that decision and gets tossed, he’s a hero, and that becomes the story. That was better for the ball club, but it didn’t happen, and this is something I think Showalter lacks. He’s very measured but sometimes a manager should fly off the handle to make his point.