Max Scherzer refuses to come out of the game, a breakdown

Max Scherzer, the ace right-hander for the Washington Nationals, is on the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with his team leading by three runs. He has already thrown 117 pitches, but there is a runner in scoring position and Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto is coming up to the plate. Nationals manager Dave Martinez begins to make his way to the mound, seemingly preparing to remove Scherzer from the game. However, Scherzer is having none of it. He sees Martinez approaching and immediately stares him down with his intense, "multi-eyed Menace look." Scherzer starts muttering to himself and waits for Martinez to reach the mound. When Martinez arrives, Scherzer defiantly tells him, "Yo, you better not take the ball from me. I feel [expletive] good." Martinez hesitantly asks Scherzer if he's sure, given that Votto is coming up, but Scherzer responds, "He ain't [expletive] sure. All right, let's [expletive] go." Scherzer turns to his catcher and says, "Here we go, let's get to work." He is determined to remain in the game and face Votto, even if it means defying his manager's judgment. On the first pitch to Votto, Scherzer delivers an off-speed strike. The next two pitches are high and low strikes, respectively and Scherzer strikes out Votto to end the inning. As Scherzer walks off the mound, he is visibly seething with intensity. He is "foaming at the mouth" and has a "psycho look," like a "dog salivating" with anger. Scherzer's competitive drive and unwillingness to be taken out of the game, even with a high pitch count, is on full display. His fierce determination and refusal to surrender the ball to his manager showcase Scherzer's uncompromising competitiveness and his desire to win at all costs.