Who is Phil Cuzzi? Max Scherzer falls victim to umpire's bizarre record involving pitchers

For the past couple of years, the MLB commissioner's office has asked its on-field umpires to intensify their search for banned substances that improve pitchers' grip on the ball. However, since the implementation of routine checks, only three pitchers have been ejected in Major League Baseball, including Max Scherzer as the most recent, coincidentally, in each of these ejections, the same umpire was present: Phil Cuzzi.

Phil Cuzzi has a history of ejecting pitchers for what he considers to be foreign substances. Hector Santiago, Caleb Smith and Scherzer, on Wednesday, have been the unlucky three to have this fate so far.

Phil Cuzzi has ejected all three of the ejected pitchers since the introduction of routine checks.

Cuzzi has had a significant career in the MLB since the 1990s. He earned his place from the most basic levels of minor league affiliates all the way to the majors. Cuzzi has worked in the World Series, called three championship series and seven divisional series.

What happened between Phil Cuzzi and Max Scherzer?

Cuzzi made headlines on Wednesday for his role in the ejection of New York Mets’ Max Scherzer. Scherzer was ejected during the fourth inning of the game against the LA Dodgers after umpires found what they deemed to be a foreign substance on his hand and glove.

Despite Scherzer's claims that the substance was a combination of legal rosin and sweat, plate umpire Dan Bellino and Cuzzi thought otherwise, with Bellino even describing Scherzer's hand as the "stickiest" he has ever felt in three seasons of conducting more thorough checks on pitchers.

Scherzer claims the substance is a legal combination of rosin and sweat.

The incident with Scherzer highlights the growing scrutiny of pitchers and foreign substances in baseball. With umpires conducting more thorough checks and the league issuing stricter punishments for "cheaters," the use of foreign substances has become a major issue in the sport. While some pitchers argue that they need substances like pine tar or rosin to improve their grip on the ball, others believe that it gives pitchers an unfair advantage.

Regardless of one's stance on the issue, it is clear that umpires like Phil Cuzzi will continue to play a key role in enforcing the rules and keeping the game fair. As more and more pitchers are scrutinized for their use of foreign substances, umpires like Cuzzi will be tasked with making difficult calls that could have major implications for the game.