David Cone conducted an interesting rosin experiment on ESPN Sunday night to prove a point.
Max Scherzer was suspended 10 games by MLB on Thursday for violating the league’s foreign substance policy. Scherzer was ejected from his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday after just three innings due to the umpires feeling the pitcher’s hands were excessively sticky.
Though he was hassled by umpires Phil Cuzzi and Dan Bellino, Scherzer insisted his hand was sticky only due to a use of legal substances rosin and sweat.
During ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” game between the San Francisco Giants and Scherzer’s New York Mets, the network ran a clip that showed Cone’s experiment.
Cone, a former Cy Young Award winner and current ESPN analyst, used rosin and some sweat and showed just how sticky he could make things. Additionally, he then used rubbing alcohol to remove the substance and proved just how much more sticky the alcohol made his fingers. He was even able to get the ball to stick to his fingers.
David Cone's Rosin Experiment. pic.twitter.com/ZI5CnAkZ1C
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 24, 2023
Cone’s point was to depict how everything Scherzer said — and everything the umpires noticed — was consistent with what happens when a person mixes sweat with rosin, and then adds alcohol (as Scherzer was forced to do).
MLB rules still state that the use of rosin and sweat can violate their foreign substance policy if it is applied to a uniform or equipment (like a glove), or if it used in excessive amounts. There is some subjectivity involved in deciding what is excessive, which is why the suspension was handed down by MLB. But Cone is proving a big point that helps defend Scherzer.
