It didn't take long for Major League Baseball to get the ire of fans, media, and players since it instituted a more serious crackdown on the use of illegal foreign substances on baseballs. Most of the frustrations stem from the delay the inspection is causing, which is already counterintuitive to the league's goal of speeding up the game. Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers has also given his thought on the issue after witnessing a future Hall of Famer in Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer get checked during Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
If it's up to Kershaw, he'd want some penalty of sorts for managers who would cross the line when it comes to capitalizing on the new rules, per Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY:
More #Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on #Nats Max Scherzer being checked by #Phillies Joe Girardi: “I think there should be some repercussions on managers if you do it on a whim like that, especially a pitcher of Max Scherzer's caliber. I think it looks pretty bad on their part.”
Scherzer would be among the last guys anyone should suspect of getting a boost from anything illegal. He's been around the league for quite a while and has often displayed elite-level pitching without any hint of illegal exterior help. But somehow, Joe Girardi kept insinuating that Scherzer was up to something Tuesday night, though it's probably just a cheap way for him to mess up with the righty.
Scherzer got the last laugh, though, tossing five innings of 1-run ball with eight Ks to help Washington secure a 3-2 road win.
Seeing that happen to Scherzer, Kershaw should be ready to get inspected when he makes his next start for the Dodgers.
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