The start of this season for Max Scherzer (39, New York Mets), who shines at the top of the major league (MLB) annual salary in the 2023 season, is unusual. In many ways, the result is different from the usual Scherzer.
Scherzer took the mound as the starting pitcher for the Mets in the 2023 Major League away game against the Milwaukee Brewers held at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 5th (Korean time).토토사이트
Scherzer, who was hit with a two-run double by Brian Anderson at the end of the first inning, continued pitching without a run until the fifth inning. He finished the inning with a three-way inning in the third, and finished with three batters in the rain of right fielder Starling Marte despite being hit by the lead batter in the fifth.
However, Scherzer collapsed in the 6th inning. After treating lead hitter Willy Adames as a fly ball in left field, he threw a miserable breaking ball to the next hitter, Rowdy Telles, and hit a solo home run that went over the right-middle fence.
It didn’t stop here, and it gave home runs to Brian Anderson and Garrett Mitchell in a row, and Scherzer allowed back-to-back-to-back, three consecutive home runs. Victor Karatini also walked, and he was eventually replaced without completing the inning.
On this day, Scherzer recorded 8 hits (3 homers), 2 strikeouts, 2 walks and 5 runs in 5⅓ innings. The Mets lost 0-8 as the batting line failed to score a single point, and Scherzer suffered his first loss of the season.
According to The Athletic, Scherzer became the second player in history to hit three home runs in one inning. On July 22, 2017, against Arizona, he showed a record of allowing back-to-back-to-back home runs with the start of the first inning, and then made a similar scene again in 5 years and 9 months.
Scherzer has allowed 1.01 home runs per 9 innings for his career. This ranks 22nd among active players with over 1,000 innings pitched. He belongs to the compliant side, although it cannot be said to be an overwhelming figure. It is strange that such a player gave up three home runs in one inning.
Home runs weren’t the only problem. On this day, Scherzer’s ball was properly attacked by the Milwaukee batters. “Milwaukee made 14 bats over 95 mph (about 152.9 km/h) against Scherzer, tying a record for a right pitcher since batting speed tracking began in 2015,” the Athletic said. Indeed, he received Scherzer’s ball and hit it.
Catcher Thomas Nido, who worked with Scherzer that day, confessed, “The Milwaukee players hit hard. It’s not a scene you see often in Scherzer’s game.” “We’ll see what kind of adjustments are needed,” he said.
Scherzer also barely caught strikeouts, his own talent. Scherzer’s two strikeouts are the fewest he has pitched without injury since 2011.
The player himself gave a very simple answer. According to the media, he said after the game, “I have to pitch better in the end. There is nothing else.”
Scherzer received an annual salary of 43.33 million dollars (approximately 56.8 billion won) this season, ranking first in the major leagues along with teammate Justin Verlander (40). Even last year, although he failed to fill the required innings (162 innings), he showed off his strength by recording 11 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 2.29 in 145⅓ innings. However, in the 2023 season, they are fighting a difficult fight from the beginning.