Max Scherzer wanted this. He wanted the ball Wednesday night against the Tigers, his old team. And from the outset, it was clear he wanted to strike out every single one of them.
In the end, Scherzer fanned 20 to tie the major league record for a nine-inning game. He got Justin Upton on a slider in the top of the ninth to join Roger Clemens (1986, 1996), Randy Johnson (2001) and Kerry Wood (1998) on the list.
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Congratulations to @Max_Scherzer on an impressive and dominant performance tonight. Welcome to the club! #Filthy
— Kerry Wood (@KerryWood) May 12, 2016
Clemens to https://t.co/mDPUQDOoCt on Scherzer: "I'm sure his ball was moving and exploding in the upper part of the strike zone."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 12, 2016
He registered at least one K in every inning, and struck out the side three times in the 3-2 Washington victory. More impressive, he walked no one. In fact, he had almost as many strikeouts as balls thrown (23).
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The right-hander who famously waved former manager Matt Williams off the mound last year to stay in a game ("I f—ing want this!" he screamed) wasn't about to get the hook from his new skipper, Dusty Baker, on Wednesday, even after he allowed a solo home run to J.D. Martinez and a single to Victor Martinez in the ninth. Scherzer completed the gem on his 119th pitch, inducing a fielder's choice grounder from James McCann.
"I think it was about the eighth inning when I punched out somebody and they said it was 18, that was the first time I had the number," he told reporters, per MLB.com . "So I knew I had a shot at going out for the ninth for 20. I had to go through some tough, tough hitters there, with Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) and J.D. and Victor and all those guys over there. Those guys are unbelievable. They gave me a heck of a time tonight, but to be able to do that against them, that's a feather in the cap."
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The scoreboard goes to 20. (Getty Images)
Scherzer's effort overshadowed the work of his mound opponent, Jordan Zimmermann, who left D.C. a year after Scherzer signed a $210 million contract with the Nats. Zimmermann allowed three runs over seven innings.
Scherzer's short time in the nation's capital has already been filled with momentous events. Last year he threw two no-hitters (against the Pirates and Mets ), just missing a perfect game in one of them. He set a career high with 276 strikeouts. After Wednesday, he has 66 Ks in 52 innings this season.
The major league record for strikeouts in a game is held by another Washington pitcher, Tom Cheney. He fanned 21 Orioles over 16 innings while pitching for the Senators in 1962.
