New York Mets Ace Ejected After Foreign Substance Discovered, Faces Suspension
For the first time this season a pitcher has been dinged for allegedly using an illegal substance. New York Mets ace Max Scherzer got into an animated argument with the umpire before being ejected from the matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer was accused of using an illegal substance, something that MLB has been trying to crack down on since the 2021 MLB season. Aces such as Gerrit Cole, Caleb Smith and Scherzer have all been accused of cheating in the past.
After the incident, Scherzer claimed it was rosin that was the substance, not the "sticky stuff" that MLB has been trying to eliminate from the game.
Pitchers use substances in order to increase spin rate or RPM on their pitches in order to make them harder to track and hit by opposing batters.
Enforcement fell off last season and now MLB is back to cracking down on it. The inconsistencies of rule enforcement, especially on these pitching substances, is frustrating for fans and players as it seems it is only enforced at the leisure of the officiating crew.
If Scherzer is found to have used an illegal foreign substance, he faces an automatic 10 game ban. He would miss at least two starts with that timeline.
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