The Mets had another Grapefruit League game on Friday, but it felt a little closer to the real thing. Instead of facing the Tampa Bay Rays at a spring-training complex, they faced off at Tropicana Field. Max Scherzer was on the bump for his final tune-up before Opening Day, and he’s ready to rock.
The right-hander is set to go up against reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara on Thursday in Miami. It should be a fun matchup. If Scherzer’s performance resembles anything close to what he did against Rays hitters on Friday, Mets fans are in for a real treat.
While New York’s offense was busy giving its co-ace plenty of run support, Scherzer was busy collecting strikeouts. He had a total of 11, with three of them coming in the sixth inning:
Max Scherzer strikes out the side in the 6th ?
(via @BallySportsFL) pic.twitter.com/ftxCTL4kzi
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2023
In addition to those strikeouts, Max Scherzer walked one while allowing four hits and two runs. More importantly, he completed six-plus innings for his second straight start while also stretching out to 100 pitches. So, he’s definitely raring to go for Thursday at loanDepot Park.
Mad Max twirled 17.2 innings in Grapefruit League play this year. As usual, his performance was dominant, as it resulted in a 1.53 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Of course, not many people are too worried about what Schezer can do at the start of the year. He posted a 2.29 ERA through 145.2 innings in 2022 for New York, but his last two starts (the final one of the regular season and his only postseason appearance) were among his worst.
Here’s to hoping the right-hander can stay healthy and dominant throughout the entirety of 2023.
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You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
