Max Scherzer was named National League Player of the Week for the period of Sept. 6-12. He’s the third Los Angeles Dodgers player to earn the honor this season, joining AJ Pollock (July 5-11) and Chris Taylor (July 19-25).
This marks a sixth time Scherzer has earned Player of the Week honors in his career, with all but one of those coming in the NL.
The future Hall of Famer was nothing short of brilliant over two starts made during the period he was recognized. Scherzer went 2-0 with just one unearned run allowed, 22 strikeouts over 16 innings pitched and held opponents to a .127 batting line.
Scherzer punctuated his week by becoming the 19th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. He did so in a start against the San Diego Padres that also featured an immaculate inning and was a perfect game until Eric Hosmer’s one-out double in the eighth inning.
“I always think you turn through the lineup once, you’ve got something going. You turn through the lineup twice, you’ve got a shot,” Scherzer said after the Dodgers’ 8-0 win. “So once I was able to get through the sixth, I knew, ‘OK, I’ve got a shot to do this.’
“I was able to get through the seventh in a tight spot and knew going into the eighth that Tatis and Hosmer were going to be tough at-bats. Those were really going to be tough at-bats.
“I was able to get Tatis, but Hosmer, we’ve done so many battles over the years. He knows everything I’ve got and he was able to capitalize. I pulled a changeup down and in, and he was able to get the barrel to it. Tip my hat to him.”
The Dodgers have won all eight of Scherzer’s starts and he is 6-0 with a 0.88 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 72 strikeouts and .158 batting average against in those outings.
Scherzer: strikeouts milestone symbolic of durability
In reaching 3,000 career strikeouts, Scherzer highlighted the endless work and dedication required to hit the benchmark.
“It’s an awesome thing to accomplish. I love strikeouts and to me, this is a testament to durability, going out there and making my 30-plus starts year in and year out,” he said. “Everybody can have the ability to do this but few have the durability to do it.
“That’s what I take away from this, that it’s all the hard work I’ve put in to be able to have this moment. That’s what feels good. You just want to thank everybody along the way. You reach a milestone like this, you get to reflecting on all the coaches and catchers that helped you. I’ve had tremendous people around me, so I just want to give thanks to them as well.”
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