Max Scherzer is my favourite Washington National. As a growing pitcher, I admired him very much. Between his dominant and the dynamic mound presence, I wanted to be like Max. He had a tiger’s eye every time he took the mound. I knew every five days I had the opportunity to see something I had never seen before.
On May 11, 2016, he delivered one of these special performances. Scherzer tied the MLB Records by hitting 20 batters. Max did it, so no one had reached that mark. To hit 20 batters requires superiority and the ability to work deep into the game. Few of these two things combine better than the maximum.
Once we got into the game, this start was highly anticipated. He was playing against his previous team, the Detroit Tigers. It was also a return home for the Tigers starter. Longtime Nationals stubborn Jordan Zimmerman had gone home to play against his old team.
Zimmermann was with the Tigers in the offseason with a five-year, $110 million deal. They were effectively replacing Scherzer a year later. The Zimmermann contract turned into a disaster, but things were good for Detroit at the time. For right-handed people Dominant April He posted a 0.55 ERA and went 5-0.
However, this day was about Mad Max. Scherzer Cruising for the first two inningshit five people and allow one hit. Then, in three innings, Scherzer gave up a solo home run to Jose Iglesias. The solo shot was Scherzer’s only Achilles heel during his Nationals tenure.
However, he bouncing off by hitting the side. At that point, he had eight strikeouts in three innings. It was dominant, but fans still didn’t think much about the 20 punchouts. It felt like a start like Max had seven innings, 13 or 14 strikeouts after the fourth one.
The games remained tied together in one place, so fans were more concerned about winning the game than anything else. Scherzer cruised fifth and retired the sides in turn after two strikeouts.
This wasn’t just the lineup he faced. The Tigers lineup featured names such as Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler. Some of them were heading towards the end of their prime in 2016, but they were all still very productive players. Shelzer had three hits, Only the guys in the lineup It’s not a strikeout.
Scherzer continued to pile up punch-outs. He attacked two people on the sixth and seventh, each, earning up to 15 total. The 20 Strikeout mark was visible now, but it was unlikely to happen.
Nat also finally gave him some run support. After Daniel Murphy RBI hit on the 6th, Danny Espinoza went deep on the 7th and gave Shelzer some insurance. Dusty Baker also gave some insurance to allow Max to chase history rather than going to the bullpen.
Mad Max has entered overdrive, Hit the side And put his total at an astonishing 18. At this point you knew something special was going on. Scherzer stalked the mound like a crazy man. More than usual, the batter couldn’t touch him. It was like seeing God amongst men.
In the nine innings, Scherzer proved he was human and gave up on a solo shot to JD Martinez. Now the mind of the Natfan has returned to having to win the game. It’s now 3-2, and it’s a one-run ball game.
However, when he turned 19 to hit Miguel Cabrera, the pursuit for history returned. It was the first time that he had a united run, and the third time Tiger Shomer turned the historic night into a loss.
Scherzer got a book of history when he canceled next batter Justin Upton with three pitchers. It was a strange feeling as Scherzer tied the records, but the game was still hanging in balance. He was only 21 years old and had a chance. The next batter was James McCann. James McCann is the main strikeout contender who punched out the first three times Scherzer first came out. However, 21 was not McCann’s basis for ending the game. Like his no-hit against the pirates, Shelzer did something historical, but somehow we wanted more.
Only Max Scherzer strikes out 20 guys and disappoints him that he didn’t win 21. That’s how good he was. Looking at Max Scherzer, I saw the greatness and pinnacle of competitive sports. May 11, 2016 was one of the days when the depth of his greatness was fully exhibited.
