Mets' Max Scherzer Exits Start vs. Nationals After 67 Pitches with Fatigue
September 4, 2022
New York Mets ace Max Scherzer abruptly exited Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals after the fifth inning and did not return, per Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com.
According to the Mets, Scherzer was dealing with fatigue and left the game as a precaution.
Scherzer tossed just 67 pitches before exiting and returning to the clubhouse alongside pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and a member of the team's training staff.
Scherzer was exactly as advertised as the 2022 MLB season got underway. Through his first eight starts, he went 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 2.97 FIP. The right-hander was averaging 10.7 strikeouts and 2.0 walks per nine innings.
But the three-time Cy Young Award winner was forced to leave a May 18 start against the St. Louis Cardinals after 5.2 innings of work. He was diagnosed with an oblique strain that would leave him out for six to eight weeks.
That timetable proved accurate, as Scherzer was deemed fit to return for a July 5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
New York's success on the field is understandably leading fans to wonder if this will be a memorable season, and the fact that Scherzer didn't suffer a long-term injury should keep the club's pennant hopes alive entering the stretch run.