Max Scherzer had a wild day against the Miami Marlins, but it only lasted an inning and a half.
The Washington Nationals starter has an impressive résumé that features five All-Star selections and a Cy Young Award in both leagues, but he managed to do something for the first time Tuesday when he stepped up to the plate. In the top of the second inning with two runners on and one out, Scherzer launched his first career home run.
Scherzer’s teammates loved it, and the dinger gave the right-hander a four-run lead to work with, but it quickly became apparent that something wasn’t right. After all the celebrating, Scherzer walked around the dugout and clearly was in some pain.
Scherzer threw one warmup pitch in the bottom half of the frame before taking himself out of the game with what was later diagnosed as neck spasms. The 33-year-old is known for being one of the toughest starters in the league, so it probably took a considerable amount of pain for him to even think about leaving.
The good news for the Nats is that Scherzer said the pain was from sleeping on his neck funny and he expects to be ready for his next start, so it’s very possible this is just a one-time thing. It still didn’t end well for Washington, though, as the bullpen erased the 6-0 lead the club had after the top half of the second inning en route to a 7-6 loss.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
