At this point of spring training, pitchers tend to test out their secondary pitches, fine-tuning them to ensure their entire arsenal is ready to go come Opening Day.
That doesn’t mean it all goes smoothly, of course. Even for three-time Cy Young Award winners.
New York Mets starter Max Scherzer’s outing on Thursday wasn’t what he wanted it to be, even if at first glance, it looked solid.
“It’s just weird,” Scherzer said after the loss to Team Nicaragua. “Anything can happen in spring.”
Scherzer finished with nine strikeouts in three innings, but he gave up two runs and a hit, and walked one. He specifically wanted to polish his slider, and admitted to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo that he needs to work on it.
“But that’s one of my bread-and-butter pitches,” Scherzer said. “So I’m not worried. I’ve just got to sharpen that up.”
The reason behind that pitch’s dominance has a lot to do with his delivery. Scherzer has the innate ability to throw a pitch from the same angle — whether it’s a breaking ball or a fastball. The hitter can’t tell the difference … until it’s too late.
Max Scherzer, 96mph Fastball and 86mph Slider, Overlay pic.twitter.com/tPq1TaPGSn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 20, 2022
Throughout his career, Scherzer has continued to use the slider more and more, which is why he puts so much pride into it. His release point is what separates him from the rest. His tell is basically non-existent.
Max Scherzer's 5th Best Pitch (curve) at 60% effort. 😀 pic.twitter.com/JmmFN0kjg8
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 7, 2021
When you continue on with his pitches, his curveball is just as nasty and has the ability to keep lefties off balance.
… even without trying.
Classic Max Scherzer sequence to strike out Jesus Sanchez.
Curve, change, curve. pic.twitter.com/tUwmDujFrs
— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) March 21, 2022
While Scherzer struggled to use his slider as an out, it’s Max freaking Scherzer. He said himself he’s not worried, and it’s doubtful anyone from the Mets staff is either.
