I’m sharing this primarily because it’s one of those things that made me shout WUT when I saw it.
In his Spring Training DEBUT, Max Scherzer threw 72(!) pitches today for the Mets:
Max Scherzer in his spring debut against the Marlins (72 pitches):
5 IP
3 H
1 ER
0 BB
5 K pic.twitter.com/NDOhulDEOH— SNY (@SNYtv) March 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/SNY_Mets/status/1505972201626951685
That seems like A LOT.
To be sure, Scherzer has previously suggested that he’s better when he throws more, and I have ZERO DOUBT that he directed the plan that had him throwing this much in his first Spring Training game. Moreover, he was undoubtedly on a specific ramp-up plan that had him in this place on March 21.
But it’s still really wild to be writing in the morning about how the Cubs are hoping to get Wade Miley (just as an example) up to 40 pitches by the end of Spring Training, and then Scherzer does this. He’s just a madman. Remember when he broke his nose on a BP bunt and then was out pitching THAT NIGHT?
Scherzer, 37, signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Mets this offseason, shattering some records in the process. Clearly, the expectation is that he will continue to be this kind of madman freak for quite a while longer.