Nationals GM Mike Rizzo Rips Joe Girardi As ‘Con Artist’ After Having Umps Check Max Scherzer For “Sticky Stuff”

On Tuesday night, the MLB’s new efforts to continuously check pitchers for “sticky stuff” blew up in their faces. Phillies manager Joe Girardi had the umpires check Nationals ace Max Scherzer multiple times throughout the game. And after the third check, Scherzer had enough.

Max Scherzer starred down Joe Girardi after an inning-ending strikeout, which resulted in a heated exchange, and Girardi getting ejected.

Joe Girardi Ejected After Getting Into It With Max Scherzer Over Sticky Substance Checkshttps://t.co/eOw9MKSYwJ

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After the game, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said Joe Girardi was just trying to use the checks to get in Max Scherzer’s head, as a ‘gamesmanship’ tactic.

“What are we idiots? Of course he was,” Rizzo said when asked if he felt Joe Girardi was exhibiting gamesmanship via Audacy. “It’s embarrassing for Girardi. It’s embarrassing for the Phillies. It’s embarrassing for baseball. Yes he was playing games. Hey, that’s his right. Gamesmanship. It had nothing to do with substances. He had no probable cause to ask for it. The umps shouldn’t have allowed it. But it happened and you’ve got to deal with it. This is what we’re gonna have to deal with.”

“You think you’re gonna intimidate a Max Scherzer? It’s just not gonna happen,” he said. “You’re just gonna piss him off and make him concentrate that much harder. This is about breaking Max’s rhythm and frustrating him and that type of thing, and it didn’t work. Our bullpen pitched great, we got some timely hits and we beat the Phillies. So we move on. We play them today again, so that’s good.”

"That was his goal. He's a con artist."

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo rips Joe Girardi for asking the umpires to check Max Scherzer for foreign substances three times in last night's game 👀 https://t.co/tpQTTmOZQb

— Audacy Sports (@AudacySports) June 23, 2021

“That was his goal. He’s a con artist,” Rizzo said of Joe Girardi. “He got you in the con. You believe it and that’s just the way it is. He’s been doing that for years on TV.”

While Mike Rizzo had an issue with the way Joe Girardi teated Max Scherzer, he also wanted to clarify that he’s still a fan of the Phillies skipper.

“No, I love Joe Girardi,” Rizzo clarified. “I’ve seen him play since he was in high school at Peoria, Illinois, scouted him at Northwestern. I know him well. But, I know him well.”

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