As Toronto Blue Jays star Max Scherzer made his spring training debut and had an electric performance, it wasn't too long ago that he signed a contract to come back to the team. With Scherzer returning to the Blue Jays, he would speak about his spring training debut and how he feels.
On Saturday, in Toronto's 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Scherzer threw four innings where he didn't allow a single hit and struck out one batter. According to Arden Zwelling, Scherzer would note how his fastball has been between 91 and 94 miles per hour (mph) in batting practice and how, during the game, it went up to 93 to 96 mph.
“It’s a tick up,” Scherzer said, according to MLB.com. “And that’s natural. In those live BPs, I was 91-94, and that’s usually a good sign. Once you get into game situations and it’s hot — a nice 85-degree day today — my arm felt good, and everything felt good. The velo ticks up again. I felt good, and I was strong all the way through the fourth inning from a velo standpoint, and that’s a good sign.”
Blue Jays' John Schneider ‘pleasantly surprised' where Max Scherzer's at
While Scherzer's signing with the Blue Jays wasn't entirely surprising, there appears to be some unfinished business after the team lost in the World Series, where the veteran pitcher impressed. Still, there are some inevitable concerns people have with a 41-year-old pitcher, though manager John Schneider would express how the team has been “pleasantly surprised” with many areas.
“After his first side session, [pitching coach] Pete [Walker] and I were pleasantly surprised with his locations, velo, and the shape of his breaking ball,” Schneider said. “It’s ahead of where it was last year, for sure, at this time.”
Scherzer looks to improve after finishing with a 5.19 ERA to go along with 82 strikeouts and a 5-5 record in 17 games. Scherzer and Toronto also look to get back to the World Series, but it first starts with working to get better during spring training to prepare for Opening Day on Friday night, March 27, against the Athletics.
