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Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer chided Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper the afternoon after having a run-in with Phils manager Joe Girardi.
Scherzer and Nationals first baseman jokingly suggested they wanted the umpires to check their former teammates' luscious locks. It got a hearty chuckle from Harper, who seemed to appreciate the good-natured humor.
Scherzer wants Bryce Harper’s hair checked 😬
(via @NBCSPhilly) pic.twitter.com/njk6oI8MJX
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 23, 2021
The interaction is an allusion to Tuesday night's showdown between the Nationals and Phillies, when Scherzer and Girardi would take center stage.
Scherzer had already been checked twice for any foreign substances as mandated by MLB's new rules implemented earlier this week. However, he was in for a surprise when the Phillies manager demanded Scherzer be checked again after “Mad Max” ran his hands through his hair.
The final check led to quite the scene, with Scherzer practically undressing in front of the mound and umpire Alfonso Marquez literally running his hands through Scherzer's hair.
It was an incredibly strange scene. Scherzer seemed to take offense to Girardi's suggestion, glaring into the Phillies dugout after a strikeout to end the fifth inning. Girardi then came out of the dugout after Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long started barking at him. He was promptly ejected from the game.
Scherzer said after the contest his use of sweat was the only way he could get a firm grip on the ball on a cold night.
Max Scherzer said he was using rosin all night, kept going to his head to use the sweat from his hair to mix w. the rosin. “I’m just trying to get a grip on the ball..you watch the previous at-bat I almost drilled someone in the face.”
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) June 23, 2021
Despite the somewhat contentious atmosphere on Tuesday evening, both Scherzer and the Nationals seem to be having a bit of fun with the whole thing, even at the expense of an old teammate.
