Mets counting on Max Scherzer's trademark intensity
Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer throws to Washington Nationals' Juan Soto during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Friday, April 8, 2022, in Washington. Credit: AP
WASHINGTON
Max Scherzer had been a Met for 127 days before his eagerly anticipated return to the mound at Nationals Park. But it wasn’t until he finally delivered the first pitch Friday night to Cesar Hernandez that the orange-and-blue chapter of his career truly felt underway.
Everything up to that point was history, and nowhere did Scherzer make a bigger impact than in this very location, with this franchise. Two of his three Cy Young Awards, a World Series trophy in 2019.
The Mets lured him to Flushing this winter with a record three-year, $130 million contract for all that he poured into those achievements on the Nationals, but it was rooted in the faith put forth by the team’s new mega-billionaire owner, Steve Cohen.
Scherzer, who will turn 38 in July, now is faced with the task of doing similar things again but for the Mets, especially now that homegrown ace Jacob deGrom is on the shelf until at least June.
Is it possible, after logging 2,536 innings over 14 seasons? Not even Scherzer himself dares to make such a promise, other than to go max effort when handed the baseball.
As a reminder of how precarious Scherzer’s standing can be, he nearly was bounced from this rotation turn because of a sore hamstring, which had the unfortunate timing of popping up the day of deGrom’s own disastrous prognosis. But after testing the leg with fielding drills Thursday on the rain-slicked leftfield grass, he gave himself the green light.
“It’s just one of those things you just got to get into the game and manage the game,” Scherzer said. “I can’t tell you how many pitches I’m gonna throw. Just manage what you got, give everything that you got, go out there and compete and try to win.”
For an ace of Scherzer’s caliber, that’s usually enough. His reputation is built on emptying the tank, and that’s why he’s so appreciated.
Before Thursday’s Opening Night, Scherzer got to bask in what likely was his final standing ovation in the District, as he was treated to a tribute video during the Mets’ introductions.
Those near Scherzer as he watched from the dugout stairs couldn’t tell if he was getting emotional from the video or merely anxious for the whole thing to be over. At the end, when the words, “Thank You Max” were superimposed over the World Series trophy, Scherzer emerged, waving to the fans as he joined his teammates along the third-base line.
It was there, positioned across from his former team, that Scherzer at least looked the part. Seeing his extraordinary Grapefruit League outings, pushing himself harder and further than his colleagues, instantly separated Scherzer from what would be considered normal by others. When Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was told of Scherzer going five innings in his first exhibition start, his only response was, “That dude’s an animal.”
That pretty much sums up the Scherzer mystique, and what the Mets are counting on him bringing to this franchise. Attitude, fury, a relentlessness and a competitive inferno that blazes beyond every fifth day.
Buck Showalter also is new to the Mets — he was named manager about two weeks after they signed Scherzer — but already sees Scherzer as a clubhouse compass for the others to follow.
“Initially, the words carry a lot of weight,” Showalter said before Friday’s game. “But you still have to back it up. He knows that more than anybody. Everybody in there knows Max’s background.”
And nobody likes talking about it less than Scherzer, who wasn’t terribly interested in re-hashing his Nationals highlight reel leading up to Friday’s homecoming. That’s not who he is. Getting sentimental about his D.C. days wasn’t going to help much in trying to dominate his former team roughly 24 hours later, and Scherzer already was trying to flip the switch.
“There’s a lot of good memories here,” he said. “But nothing lasts forever and my baseball journey goes on. I’m here in New York and I’m excited what the future holds.”
That future now has him leading the way for the Mets, with deGrom lost indefinitely to a stress reaction in his shoulder blade. Unlike the incumbent ace, Scherzer is a more animated, more agitated No. 1 — and the presumption is the Mets can forge a championship team in that fire.
“There’s a lot of talent in here,” Scherzer said. “A lot of moves were made in the offseason to bolster the talent in here. It’s up to us to come together as a team, as a clubhouse, and do the best we can. Everybody’s got to be at their best.”
The evidence suggests that won’t be a concern with Scherzer.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
