New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer. Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Mets' Max Scherzer accomplished what he wanted in ugly return to the mound

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 5/3/23

In his first game since serving a 10-game suspension, New York Mets starter Max Scherzer accomplished what he wanted, despite being roughed up by the Detroit Tigers.

After giving up six earned runs over only 3.1 innings of work, Scherzer said he checked the first thing off his list following the long layoff.

"The number one thing is getting through this start healthy, back, good," Scherzer said, via SNY. "Check mark. Now we can get going again."

Scherzer admitted having trouble locating pitches against the Tigers, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise since the 38-year-old last pitched on April 19.

(ahem) BATT Vierling pic.twitter.com/S2lJtaOtXd
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 3, 2023

Unsurprisingly, Scherzer's outing against the Tigers was his shortest of the year. Ahead of Wednesday's start, Scherzer had been up and down early for the Mets, going 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA over three appearances. However, with the suspension behind him and a start under his belt, Scherzer seems focused on the rest of the 2023 season.

Scherzer's suspension stemmed from an ejection last month when umpires found a sticky substance on his glove after being asked to wash his hands following a prior check. Crew chief Dan Bellino later said the substance was "far stickier" than anything he'd encountered since the MLB crackdown.

The three-time Cy Young Winner maintains that the "sticky" substance found was only sweat and rosin, insisting that using alcohol to wash his hands only made the combination stickier. Former MLB pitcher David Cone later confirmed Scherzer's claim with an experiment shared on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball."

Whether or not Scherzer was using an illegal substance or not, the whispers aren't likely to go away for the Mets hurler if outings like Wednesday's continue.

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