Max Scherzer has won the award that bears the name of the best pitcher in baseball history three times in his career. He now has also passed this man on the all-time strikeout list. With his ten strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the guy they call Mad Max climbed past Cy Young into 22nd place on the list which defines a pitcher’s greatness. Combined with his other statistics Scherzer is showing why he is the best pitcher in Washington Nationals history.
We won’t call this unanimous or even go “hands down”, for Stephen Strasburg has a thing or two to say about this label. Instead, we’ll say by the numbers, Scherzer is arguably the best pitcher to wear the uniform and pitch in The District.
Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer has passed Cy Young on the all-time strikeout list and continues to put up stellar overall numbers.
Scherzer has won two Cy Young awards with the Nationals, the third came when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers. The year after doing so he signed his seven year contract with the Nationals, which happens to expire this year. If he does not get re-signed, Strasburg has time to not only stockpile some numbers, but lower some totals as well.
In his time with the Nationals, Scherzer boasts a better ERA and FIP than Strasburg and has a WHIP under one. Max has struck out a hitter more per nine innings, with a K/BB rate better as well. With a batting average allowed of just .202 during his time in DC, Scherzer has proven to be a challenge to hit. This fact is proven by the two no-hitters he has tossed over the past seven years. His batting average allowed, WHIP, and ERA (for starting pitchers) are the best in team history (combined with Montreal Expos statistics as well).
Max Scherzer has made 173 career regular season starts for the Nats.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 17, 2021
He's gone at least 6 IP and surrendered 3 or fewer hits in 23% of them.#Scherzday // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/M4xXkkZrtQ
During his twelve years since being drafted number one overall in 2009, Strasburg has tallied some really impressive numbers. Injuries have played a role in his career, including wiping away most of his 2011 and 2020 seasons. While Scherzer has maintained a relatively clean bill of health for the Nationals, he was hampered some in the 2019 postseason by neck/back spasms. Strasburg on the other hand was brilliant in the playoffs. He was a perfect 5-0 and walked away with the Most Valuable Player hardware during the World Series.
Scherzer will turn 37 years old mid-summer and is a free agent at the end of the year. While the Nationals look to extend Trea Turner and Juan Soto, they may not be inclined to bring back their All-Star pitcher. If that is the case, he’ll walk away arguably the best pitcher to wear a Nationals uniform.