The Texas Rangers will be looking to win their first World Series title in franchise history. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, 39, has recovered from injury and is ready to return.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, reported on Thursday (Feb. 14) that Scherzer threw a pitcher’s fielding practice (PFP) at Texas’ home field, Globe Life Field, to prepare for his return.
Scherzer threw 65 pitches in a live pitching session with the bases loaded on Dec. 12. After a day of rest, he threw a bullpen session and a PFP today to prepare for his return to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) best-of-seven series.
“I’m back,” Scherzer said. I’ve checked everything I can check. I’m ready to throw. The Houston Astros are a great team. I’m going to go out there and pitch at the highest level I can.”
Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux said, “He’s moving in the right direction. It’s very encouraging. He threw 68 pitches without a break against the hitters. He’s got to be a little sharper, but overall it was good,” he said of Scherzer’s return.
Scherzer pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays on May 13, but left the game in the sixth inning with an injury. He was diagnosed with a right oblique strain and is effectively out for the season. Texas general manager Chris Young downplayed his chances of returning for the rest of the season, saying he was “unlikely to pitch in the postseason.”
At 39 years old, the odds were stacked against him. But Scherzer didn’t give up. He continued to work on his body, hoping to return to fall ball. A late-season slump cost the Rangers the AL West title, but they bounced back to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in two games in the Wild Card Series and the Baltimore Orioles in three games in the Division Series.
As Texas advanced to the ALCS, Scherzer finally got his chance. He showed remarkable resilience in the month since his injury. He started pitching out of the bullpen late last month, gradually increasing his intensity, and was back in action in time for the ALCS.
Scherzer is a living legend with a 214-108 record with a 3.15 ERA and 3367 strikeouts in 457 games (448 starts – 2834⅔ innings) in 16 major league seasons since his debut in 2008. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star is tied with Justin Verlander (Houston) for the highest salary of the year ($43.33 million).
Traded to Texas from the New York Mets on July 30, Scherzer was expected to be a championship contender. He was part of the Washington Nationals’ first World Series title in 2019 and has plenty of fall ball experience. In 27 career games (22 starts, 133⅓ innings), Scherzer is 7-7 with one save and a 3.58 ERA.토토사이트
Texas, which was founded in 1961, is one of six franchises in Major League Baseball that has yet to win a World Series title. The San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers (since 1969), Seattle Mariners (1977), Colorado Rockies (1993), and Tampa Bay Rays (1998) are also without a championship, but the Rays are the oldest of the bunch and are desperate for one.
Texas has been a one-two punch this postseason with Jordan Montgomery (2-1, 1.32) and Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.27). Adding Scherzer to the mix gives them three strong starters heading into the ALCS. The ALCS begins on June 16 with Game 1 at Houston’s home ballpark, Minute Maid Park.