One of the most established, dominant veteran pitchers knows that the 60-game season will be difficult on players, and he’s already trying to work through all the challenges that will come forth as a result.
Max Scherzer left Wednesday’s game against the Mets, as he clearly did not have his best stuff. He threw 27 pitches, giving up a hit, a walk and an earned run. Scherzer was replaced by Erick Fedde to start the second inning, as he apparently wanted to play it safe.
He later revealed that he had an issue with his hamstring, and while he probably could’ve labored through it, it just wasn’t worth pushing himself and setting him up for a major injury.
Scherzer himself came out and said that pitchers need to be more careful in this 60-game shortened season, and to listen to their bodies, given how difficult it’s been to just flip the switch and attempt to get their arms ready for the season (again).
“We’ve got to be really really careful,” Scherzer began, via USA Today Sports.
He continued:
“I don’t feel like the schedule or the process has had anything to do with it,” he said. “I just tweaked my hamstring. The smart decision was just to come out of the game.”
We’ll likely see other pitchers following suit going forward. It’s better to play it safe with an early exit, rather than possibly suffer a major injury. This shortened season is new territory for all MLB players.
