Jeff Seidel: Tigers' Max Scherzer shows all his talent, strength
Detroit Tigers Max Scherzer after not getting a strike call to run the count fall with two outs in the fifth inning with Baltimore Orioles Chris Davis at bat in Detroit on Monday June 17, 2013. Julian H. Gonzalez /Detroit Free Press / Julian H. Gonzalez
Baseball is a game of tiny battles that string together and — sometimes, magically — turn into a historic moment.
So let’s focus on one battle on Monday night — the biggest moment of all — as Max Scherzer became the first Tiger to start the season with a 10-0 record in more than 100 years.
It was the fifth inning and the bases were loaded. Two outs. And Chris Davis came to the plate. Davis had the hot bat for Baltimore after hitting a home run in the second inning and singling in the fourth. The rain was falling, and the game, and a slice of history, came down to this one at bat.
On a 1-2 count, the crowd was screaming and Scherzer had a surge of adrenaline. He threw a fastball that hit 98 miles per hour, tickling the edge of the plate. But it was called a ball, and Tigers catcher Brayan Pena looked back at the umpire in disbelief.
“Come on!” Scherzer said in frustration, although he would admit later that it was the right call.
And the battle continued, showing all of Scherzer’s talent and strength.
On a 3-2 count, Scherzer struck out Davis with a fastball that Pena caught so softly he looked like he was catching a feather.
Battle won. History made, as the Tigers held on for a 5-1 victory.
Scherzer earned the win, becoming the first Tiger to start the season with a 10-0 record since George Mullin in 1909.
“It’s really nice when you start realizing the history of this organization,” Scherzer said. “To be 10-0 is great. But at the same time, wins and losses is a fluky stat. Sometimes, when you play with a good offensive team, you can run into one of these streaks.”
Ah, yes, the offense. There is no question he’s playing with a great offense, which has been a factor in this amazing start. Scherzer came into the game with the best run support of any pitcher in the Major Leagues.
“Oh, I love our offense,” Scherzer said.
In the end, this was not his best start, but it was good enough for another win. Scherzer pitched six innings and had 10 strikeouts — the 15th time in his career that he recorded 10 strikeouts or more in a single game.
“I think he’s got a better overall feel for the art of pitching,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Probably some of it is a physical adjustment that he’s made and some of it has been a mental adjustment that he has made. That combination has worked pretty good for him.”
To say the least.
It has put him right into the record books.
Right along with Mullin, who might have been the greatest workhorse in Tigers’ history.
Mullin, a righthander from Wabash, Ind., came from an era when pitchers went to the mound and never left until their arm fell off. Mullin holds team records most innings in a season with 3821⁄3 innings (1904) and most innings in a career (3,394).
And now, Scherzer is right there in the record books with him.
“It was a good team win,” Scherzer said.
Want to know the most amazing stat of all? Scherzer has recorded six or more strikeouts in 14 straight games to start the season. The only other pitcher to do that? Pedro Martinez, who did it three times.
“That tickles me when you say those types of names,” Scherzer said.
Scherzer has been fantastic for the last two years, putting together a 26-7 record dating back to the start of the 2012 season. And, maybe, one of the secrets is that he isn’t thinking so much.
“I think he’s fine-tuned it to where he is not overloading the computer,” Leyland said. “I think he simplifies things. He’s a really bright guy in a lot of areas. He’s a very smart kid.”
A smart kid with a great arm and an amazing streak.
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