Max Scherzer was beyond furious when Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi essentially accused him of cheating on Tuesday night, but the Washington Nationals star appears to have cooled down a bit.
The Nationals and Phillies played an afternoon game on Wednesday, and Scherzer wasted no time needling his opponent about all the foreign substance drama from the night before. When Bryce Harper reached base in the top of the first inning, Scherzer and Ryan Zimmerman jokingly yelled from the dugout that the umpires should check Harper’s hair for a foreign substance.
It’s nice to see Scherzer making light of it now.
Girardi requested a foreign substance check on Scherzer mid-inning during the bottom of the fourth on Tuesday night. Scherzer was disgusted with the request and responded by partially undressing in front of the umpiring crew to prove he had nothing to hide.
The following inning, the right-hander blew a 3-2 fastball by J.T. Realmuto for an inning-ending strikeout. Scherzer stared down Girardi on his way to the dugout. Girardi responded by verbally challenging Scherzer to a fight, and the manager was ejected.
On Wednesday morning, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo blasted Girardi during a radio interview and called him a “con artist.”
Scherzer probably won’t be joking with Girardi about the situation anytime soon, but he and Harper shared a good laugh about it.
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