Fired up Max Scherzer refuses to leave game, sends Matt Williams back to dugout
Max Scherzer isn’t one to mince words or suppress his emotions on the field. He’s about as fiery a competitor as you’ll see at any level, and that fire was on full display again on Friday night.
During the seventh inning of Washington’s 6-5 victory against the Miami Marlins, Scherzer was in a minor jam when manager Matt Williams came to the mound to check on his ace. Before Williams’ feet could even hit the dirt, Scherzer emphatically and colorfully rejecting any thought Williams might have about removing him.
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As you’ll see here, Scherzer simply wasn’t having it. Williams got the message — because it was pretty much impossible to miss — and went right back to the dugout.
For those who can’t read lips, we can’t help you here. It’s a family blog.
Here’s the cleaned up version from Scherzer though, courtesy of the Washington Post’s James Wagner.
What Max Scherzer is saying is that when he’s not ready to leave the game, it’s probably a good idea to turn around and leave him alone. He’ll let you know when his business is finished.
In this case, he still had one better he wanted to retire. With the score tied 2-2, Scherzer was set to face Dee Gordon with the go-ahead run on second base and two outs. Scherzer’s pitch count was at 102, so you know he still had some gas left in the tank. He wanted Gordon, and he got him, retiring him on a ground ball to end the inning.
Scherzer then stormed to the dugout, where Williams appeared to give an approving nod. It was a bit awkward given Scherzer’s show of emotions, but there’s no manager that would frown on his ace taking charge like Scherzer did on Friday night. None.
There’s a reason he’s a former Cy Young. There’s a reason Washington gave him $210 million. He’s among the best pitchers in the game. He’s the guy you want out there taking control of those situations.
And he’s also a leader on the field. Whether you believe in emotions impacting a game or you don’t, there’s no doubt his teammates and the fans were able to feed off that energy.
Go get’em, Max.
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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
