Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer won his third Cy Young Award on Wednesday night. Here’s our reaction.
It is no secret that Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in the league, if not the best. Now, he has the hardware to prove it. On Wednesday night, Max Scherzer was named the National League Cy Young Award winner, his third time winning the award.
Scherzer won the award last year as well, so he has won it in two consecutive seasons, becoming just the sixth pitcher in MLB history to accomplish this feat. He also became just the sixth pitcher in MLB history to win the award in both leagues when he won last season.
Now, with three Cy Youngs and counting under his belt, Scherzer appears well on his way to Cooperstown. With this honor, he became just the tenth pitcher in MLB history to win at least three Cy Young Awards. Of the other nine, seven are in the Hall of Fame, and the other two appear destined to get there when eligible.
Not many mega-contracts pan out, but Scherzer has been worth every penny of his seven year, $210 million contract so far. In his first three seasons with the Nats, he has won two Cy Young Awards, thrown two no-hitters, and pitched a 20-strikeout game. People say that there is an exception to every rule, and Scherzer appears to be just that.
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Even more impressively, Scherzer was pitching through various injuries for most of the season. He was unable to go through his normal off-season routine after undergoing hand surgery shortly after the 2016 season. This surgery impacted his off-season and Spring Training, nearly forcing him to begin 2017 on the disabled list.
Then, Scherzer dealt with neck injuries for most of the second-half. However, he always pushed through and only missed a handful of starts.
After the neck injuries, Scherzer injured his hamstring in his final start of the regular season. He was still able to pitch in the postseason, but could not start until game three.
Scherzer dealt with injuries to his hand, neck, and hamstring in 2017, and these are just the injuries we know about. There were likely several others that never made it to the public. Despite the fact that he was pitching hurt for most of the season, he still managed to pitch 200 innings and win a Cy Young Award.
Now that Scherzer has won the Cy Young Award, this is one of the biggest weeks of his life. His wife, Erica, is pregnant with their first child, and is due sometime in the next week.
After winning the award, Scherzer said there was a chance he was going to have to be in the hospital tonight. For a man who has accomplished nearly everything on a baseball field, fatherhood is a great new challenge.
Scherzer winning the Cy Young Award is somewhat of a bittersweet moment for the Nats. Obviously, it is great that he got the recognition he deserves, but that means Stephen Strasburg fell short. Strasburg was also named a finalist, but finished in third, behind Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw.
Strasburg had the best season of his career, including a historical second-half. After the All-Star Break, Strasburg pitched to a 0.86 ERA, and pitched to the potential that the Nats saw in him when they drafted him first overall.
After an outstanding second-half, Strasburg had an even better postseason. In two starts against the Chicago Cubs, he pitched 14 innings and did not allow a single earned run.
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With Scherzer’s third Cy Young Award, he joins elite company and further cements himself as a future Hall of Famer. It is truly a joy to watch him pitch every fifth day, and it is great to see him receive this well-deserved honor.