History has repeated itself at Dodger Stadium.
Umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Mets pitcher Max Scherzer after just three innings, presumably for suspicion of using sticky substances while pitching against the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Scherzer, according to SNY, was emphatic that he was not using a banned substance and that he was using rosin, which is permitted.
Cuzzi, 67, has been at the center of a similar controversy before.
In 2021, Cuzzi ejected then-Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago for what was the first violation of the MLB’s crackdown on sticky substances.
As with Scherzer, Santiago was adamant that he had been unfairly victimized for using rosin.
“[Umpire Phil Cuzzi] said he felt some sticky stuff on the inside of the glove,” Santiago said after the game. “All I used was rosin. I used it on both sides, trying to keep that sweat from dripping down to the hands.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais defended his pitcher at the time.
“It’s about 85-90 percent humidity [Sunday],” Servais said at the time. “He had rosin all over himself. When you put rosin on sweat, it gets sticky.”
Crew chief Tom Hallion said after the game that the four umpires on the field were in unanimous agreement that Santiago had been using a banned substance.
“What we do is we go around the whole glove, feeling for anything that would be sticky or something,” Hallion said. “It was very noticeable, and then the rest of the crew inspected to make sure we were all in agreement. All four agreed that it was a sticky substance, and that’s why he was ejected.”
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Santiago received an automatic 10-game suspension for the infraction, which is the same fate presumably awaiting Scherzer, who was asked to change his glove following an initial check on Wednesday.
