Blue Jays' Max Scherzer reveals he was fined after viral dugout moment with umpire
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer recently revealed that he was fined by Major League Baseball following a dugout incident in 2025 that quickly went viral.
During a May 2, 2025 game against the Cleveland Guardians, Max Scherzer, who was on the injured list at the time, was caught on camera in the Toronto Blue Jays' dugout appearing to mock home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor.
Frustrated with what he believed were inconsistent strike zone calls, Scherzer began pretending to flip an imaginary coin in his hand before signaling whether a pitch should be called a ball or a strike.
The gesture was widely interpreted as a direct critique of Bucknor's strike zone.
Television cameras captured Scherzer continuing the bit for several minutes, repeatedly looking into his empty palm and smiling as if the calls were being decided randomly.
Television cameras captured Scherzer continuing the bit for several minutes, repeatedly looking into his empty palm and smiling as if the calls were being decided randomly.
Max Scherzer was mocking home plate umpire CB Bucknor, suggesting that he was flipping a coin to make his calls (via @Sportsnet)
The moment quickly spread across social media, with fans and broadcasters sharing the clip and many expressing support for Scherzer's silent protest.
Speaking on the Blue Jays Today Podcast, Scherzer confirmed that the league disciplined him for the incident.
«Ya I got fined for that,» Scherzer said. «I was guilty. There were calls going both ways, some for us, some against us. Nobody really knew where the strike zone was on either side.»
It's not the first time Mad Max has faced league discipline
In 2023, the veteran pitcher was suspended for 10 games and fined $5,000, reduced from an initial $10,000, for violating MLB's sticky substance policy.
Scherzer strongly disputed the ruling at the time, insisting the substance on his hand was simply a mixture of legal rosin and sweat rather than an illegal foreign substance.
The suspension forced him to miss two starts and made him the third pitcher disciplined under MLB's stricter enforcement measures introduced in 2021.
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MARS 16|182 ANSWERS Blue Jays' Max Scherzer reveals he was fined after viral dugout moment with umpire Do you think MLB players deserve fines and or suspensions for mocking umpires? | ||
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| No | 104 | 57.1 % |
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