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With the MLB postseason just around the corner, it's often said that the home team holds a significant edge. However, for notable players like veteran Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer, that view isn't always as clear-cut.
Scherzer, a two-time World Series winner with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and last year with Texas, believes that playing at one's home field doesn't provide any kind of advantage as opposed to playing on the road, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“Baseball is a team sport, but there’s a very individual component to it,” “You’re not relying on necessary communication on like other sports where crowd noise affects that. The field conditions are the same, too. Because of that, baseball is played the same way, whether you’re home or road.
“So, this home-field advantage hasn’t made a bit of a difference in my experience.”
And Scherzer may have a point, considering MLB postseason home teams amassed the worst collective record in 2023 since 1970, going just 15-26 in front of their home fans. For the Rangers, they clinched their first championship last year on the road at Chase Field over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I can’t explain it,” explained Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. “We didn’t just lose, we got pummeled at home last year against the Astros. We go to their place and play lights out. I looked back and tried to make sense of it, but I couldn’t. Last year wasn’t an advantage for any team.”
Max Scherzer's season is over – will he pitch next year?
The 40-year-old Scherzer was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury, ending his 2023 season. At 73-82, the Rangers won't defend their title and will miss the postseason.
“He's been trying hard to get back out there pitching,” Bochy said via ESPN. “You want him out there. And we were hoping to see him out there on a consistent basis. We had some things that we were trying to figure out with the arm. Now it's the hamstring. It's been a tough year for him.”
However, he would like to play next year, as reported by MLB.com's Kennedi Landry.
Max Scherzer, now in the final year of his contract, made the fewest starts in 2023 since his rookie season with the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2008. He also underwent back surgery during the offseason, delaying his first start this year until June.
