Scherzer returns, stating he is ready for the upcoming season, as Texas aims to win their first World Series title in 62 years
The Texas Rangers will return to the World Series for the first time in 12 years with the return of Max Scherzer, 39.
“Texas announced on Sunday that Scherzer will make his first postseason start in Game 3 following a 5-4 victory in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series,” MLB.com reported.
Scherzer is a veteran of 457 career major league games (2834⅔ innings) with a 214-108 record and a 3.15 ERA. He is one of the most dominant pitching aces in baseball, having won the Cy Young Award in both major leagues.
Scherzer, who signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets last season, was traded to Texas as the Mets struggled this season. He finished the season with a 13-6 record and a 3.77 ERA in 27 games (152⅔ innings). In the postseason, he was 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 games (133⅓ innings).
Due to injury, Scherzer hasn’t taken the mound since May 13 against Toronto (a 5⅓-inning scoreless win). Texas made the postseason despite Scherzer’s departure, but he did not pitch in either the American League Wild Card Series or the Division Series.
But in the American League Championship Series against Houston, Scherzer finally returned. Manager Bruce Bochy said, “He’s ready. That’s why he’s starting Game 3. He came home a couple days ago and threw 69 pitches against the hitters and the stuff was good. He’s maintained his stamina and his command since then. It’s easy to see that he can pitch in Game 3. He wants to go out there. Trust me. He wore us down a little bit by assuring us, ‘I’m healthy, I’m ready to go,'” Scherzer said, explaining that Scherzer is ready to start.
Scherzer’s return is a boon for Texas, which is making a run in the postseason this year. After finishing second in the American League West with a 90-72 record but earning the second wild-card berth, Texas swept first-place Tampa Bay (99-63) in the Wild Card Series and swept first-place Baltimore (101-61) in the Division Series. In the League Championship Series, 먹튀검증토토사이트 they also took a two-game lead over West Division winner Houston (90-72) to advance to the World Series. If Scherzer pitches a Game 3 victory, Texas will be nine games out of a World Series berth.
Since its inception in 1961, Texas has never won a World Series title. They made it to the World Series for the first time in 2010, but were swept by San Francisco in four games, and in 2011 they made it to the World Series for the second year in a row, only to lose a hard-fought four-game series to St. Louis.
After never winning a World Series title, Texas has been on a roll this fall. With two Wild Card Series wins, three Division Series wins, and two League Championship Series wins, they are on a seven-game postseason winning streak. Fans will be eager to see if Scherzer can continue the Texas surge and pave the way to the World Series.