That game pitted Washington’s Max Scherzer, who signed with the Nationals before the 2015 season for $210 million, going against Detroit’s Jordan Zimmermann, who left Washington to sign with the Tigers for $110 million before this season.
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The 31-year-old Scherzer managed the sixth complete-game of his career Wednesday while tallying a new Nationals’ record and a new career-high for strikeouts in the process.
Max Scherzer has thrown two no-hitters, come within one strike of a ideal game and met just about every expectation that accompanied the $210 million contract he signed with Washington. Incredibly, in those four games with 15 or more strikeouts, Scherzer has walked just two batters combined: One against Milwaukee, and one against the Pirates while he was still with the Tigers back on May 20, 2012, when he struck out 15 over seven innings. But Scherzer then struck out Miguel Cabrera, allowed a single to Victor Martinez, fanned Justin Upton and got McCann to end the game. “Because, I mean, the strikeouts are sexy”.
In the third, Iglesias hit a first-pitch fastball for his first homer of the season, and in the fifth he flew out on an 0-2 slider. Baker stuck with Scherzer, at 114 pitches, to face Upton. There’s a reason that pitchers aim for the outer corners of the plate, bury fastballs at the hollow beneath the knee, and manipulate the spin of the baseball to guide it safely into his catcher’s mitt.
Afterward, Scherzer was so euphoric that he was able to joke about serving up another pair of gopher balls, raising his season total to 11, the most in the National League.
Scherzer promptly struck out James McCann, Anthony Gose and then the side in the eighth inning to a standing ovation.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus witnessed Wood’s gem and one of Clemens’ 20-strikeout games as an opposing player.
Scherzer played five seasons for the Tigers, went to the World Series, and won a Cy Young there.
Carlos Villanueva (1-0) worked one inning – the sixth – for the win, and Fernando Rodney pitched a flawless ninth for his ninth save of the season.
Less friendly than their fans, the Nationals greeted Zimmermann with three hits in the first, one each from Rendon, Harper and Murphy. Harper plans to appeal the suspension; he started in right field on Wednesday while Knight was the umpire at second base.
Tigers: Cabrera was back in the lineup after his pinch-hit single drove in a run in Detroit’s 5-4 victory Tuesday.
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Granted, he also has 66 strikeouts in 52 innings, which should allay any potential concerns. Moments later, pinch hitter Clint Robinson – who acknowledged afterward he thought it was only the eighth inning – hit the first game-ending homer of his career.
