Max Scherzer cools off slightly, allows two runs in win against Phillies
Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer is on such an incredible roll that he made the seemingly impossible look entirely possible for a good portion of Friday’s game in Philadelphia.
Scherzer entered the game looking to become only the second pitcher in MLB history to throw consecutive no-hitters. Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds was the first and remains the only pitcher to achieve that feat back in 1938, but Scherzer was nipping at the heels of history by carrying a perfect game bid into the sixth inning.
Philadelphia’s Freddy Galvis ended the pursuit with a ringing double to right field off a hanging curveball. It was essentially the first mistake Scherzer had made over a two-start span, but it proved costly from a historical perspective.
Even more impressively, Scherzer had retired 70 of 73 batters overall leading up to the Galvis double.
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It was setting up to be possibly be the best three-game stretch ever by a starting pitcher. At least until the seventh inning arrived.
The Phillies would go on to solve Scherzer in that frame, erupting — that’s a relative term — for a single run on three hits. Dominic Brown’s RBI double officially snapped the Nationals franchise record of 47 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings from starting pitchers.
In the eighth inning, Ben Revere added a solo home run — only the third of his six-year career — so it’s safe to say Scherzer cooled off slightly once the seal was broken.
Both runs were of little consequence to the Nationals, however, as they cruised to a 5-2 victory.
On a personal level, Scherzer’s stretch of excellence now encompasses those three starts. After pitching a one-hitter on June 13 in Milwaukee, he came up one slightly controversial hit-by-pitch short of perfection on June 19 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He settled for the first no-hitter of his career that afternoon, which set him up for potential history on Friday.
Given his hot streak and the opposition, the focus of baseball shifted to Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies 30th ranked offense awaited. Add in the chaos of manager Ryne Sandberg resigning his post earlier in the day and Philadelphia seemed ripe for the picking.
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Of course, it was also natural to wonder if Scherzer could possibly have enough left in the tank physically or emotionally to go the distance again. Perhaps some form of fatigue settled in, or perhaps the percentages of baseball simply caught up to him. Whatever the case, Scherzer was denied another piece of history, but still managed to cement his status as one of baseball’s elite.
Scherzer will take those results, and he’ll no doubt use them as motivation to be even better five days from now.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
