Scherzer had blanked the Dodgers on one hit through three innings, escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first, but he was forced to change gloves by the umpires before the third inning. As he took the mound for the fourth inning, the standard between-innings sticky stuff check took a lot longer than usual.

Mets manager Buck Showalter came out to the first base line as the discussion between Scherzer and home plate umpire Dan Bellino and Cuzzi grew more animated, with the television broadcast of the game showing Scherzer repeatedly yelling, “It’s rosin!”

Scherzer was automatically ejected from the game and replaced by right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis, who gave up a run in the fourth when Jason Heyward doubled with one out, took third on Miguel Vargas’ single to right and scored on David Peralta’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Dodgers lead.

But the Mets countered with two runs off Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, Francisco Alvarez reaching on an infield single and Brandon Nimmo driving a two-run homer to right field.