Max Scherzer refuses to come out of the game, a breakdown
What Happened
In a late-May 2019 game between the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds, Max Scherzer was working the bottom of the eighth with a three-run lead and a runner in scoring position. After punching out a hitter on his 117th pitch, manager Dave Martinez started toward the mound to make a change with Joey Votto due up, a hitter who had already doubled off Scherzer earlier. Scherzer waved him off, told Martinez he felt good and was staying in, and Martinez relented. Scherzer then struck out Votto on three pitches to escape the inning, staring down the dugout the whole time.
Why This Matters
This is peak Scherzer, a pitcher whose competitiveness has always bordered on hostile. The mound visit is a manager's call, but veteran aces with track records still get a say, and Martinez chose to trust him. The risk was real. Votto is a former MVP who had already barreled Scherzer up once that night, so leaving in a starter at 117-plus pitches with the tying run on deck could have blown up in Washington's face. Instead Scherzer froze him on three straight strikes. Scherzer would go on to win his third career Cy Young the following season's voting cycle remained competitive, but his 2019 was vintage: a sub-3.00 ERA stretch and constant strikeout dominance. Moments like this fed his reputation as one of the most stubborn, intense competitors of his generation.
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Key Moments
Who / What Is Involved
Players: Max Scherzer.
Key Terms Mentioned
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentthe Nats are up by three runs bottom of
the eighth Scherzer is about to throw
his one-hundred and seventeenth pitch on
the outing there's a runner in scoring
position he gets the strikeout there now
Joey Votto's coming up and he doubled
off him earlier in the game so Martinez
sheepishly starts heading up the dugout
Scherzer sees him and says no and he
stares at him with his multi-eyed Menace
look start to mutter him to herself
waits for him to get there says yo you
better not take the ball from me I feel
[ __ ] good Martinez says are you sure
cuz vitals coming up he says he ain't
[ __ ] sure all right
let's [ __ ] go we'll look at his
catcher says here we go
let's get to work make sure it's the
right move otherwise Martinez is gonna
look even more like a chump than he does
getting overrun
but Votto gets first pitch off-speed
strike next pitch high strike next pitch
low strike gets him out I'm kind of
helped out but he gets the strikeout and
he's seething he's foaming at the mouth
he's a psycho look at a psycho sure like
a dog salivating angry as hell that
dudes crazy
but awesome