Max Scherzer took the mound with his usual intensity and gave fans a performance full of fire. In the fifth inning, with a runner on and one out, he labored through a lefty at-bat and gave up a hard-hit out. That prompted a surprise visit from the manager, but Scherzer waved him off with an intense stare. He refused to come out, insisting he had more work to do. The next batter up was Randy Arozarena. Scherzer had pitched him predictably earlier in the game, going fastball-slider. But this time, he switched it up — after a couple of fastballs, he froze Arozarena by throwing a fastball when he expected the slider. Then Scherzer finished him with a well-placed slider low and away. Strikeout. Fire. He walked off the mound yelling, full of emotion, daring anyone to take him out.
They kept Scherzer in for the sixth, and he stayed sharp. He worked through the top of the order with smart pitch sequencing, changing speeds and locations to keep hitters off balance. He struck out the side, mixing sliders, fastballs, and changeups. His command dipped a little with a two-out walk, and the manager came out quickly to pull him, this time not letting Scherzer talk him out of it. Scherzer was frustrated but handed over the ball. He finished with a strong outing, three solid innings, big strikeouts, and vintage attitude. His teammates loved it. Scherzer showed that even when he’s not perfect, he knows how to get big outs and mess with hitters’ heads.