New York Mets ace Max Scherzer has been suspended 10 games after being ejected from his April 19 start against the Los Angeles Dodgers when umpire Phil Cuzzi determined he was using an illegal substance.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the right-hander was suspended and will appeal. Heyman added that Scherzer was fined $10,000 for the infraction.

Home-plate umpire Dan Bellino met with Scherzer in the middle of the second inning for a routine substance inspection. Cuzzi informed the right-hander at that point his hand was too sticky and he needed to wash it off before returning to the mound in the third inning.

Scherzer washed his hands with alcohol in front of an MLB official. His hands were determined to be clean when he came out for the third inning, but Cuzzi determined the pocket of his glove was too sticky and he needed to use a new one.

After complying with the request to use a new glove, Scherzer was checked by Cuzzi and Bellino again in the fourth inning. Following an animated discussion, the eight-time All-Star was tossed from the game.

"[Cuzzi] said my hand's too sticky," Scherzer told reporters after the game. "I said, 'I swear on my kids' lives, I'm not using anything else. This is sweat and rosin, sweat and rosin.' I keep saying it over and over, and they touch my hand, they say it's sticky. Yes, it is, because it's sweat and rosin. They say it's too sticky. They threw me out because of that."

Speaking to a pool reporter about the situation, Bellino said the substance on Scherzer's hand was "likely more than rosin" and it was even stickier when he was inspected before the fourth inning.

An ejection for using an illegal substance carries a 10-game suspension if MLB determines the umpires were right in their assessment of the situation.

Since MLB updated its rules in June 2021 to include an automatic 10-game ban for pitchers caught using an illegal substance to doctor the baseball, Hector Santiago of the Seattle Mariners and Caleb Smith of the Arizona Diamondbacks were the only players to receive a suspension for a violation prior to Scherzer. Both occurred in 2021.

Scherzer's suspension will cause him to miss two turns in the rotation at a time when the Mets' pitching staff is very thin. Justin Verlander has yet to pitch this season because of a shoulder injury. Carlos Carrasco is on the injured list with a bone chip in his elbow.