Max Scherzer

At 39 years old, Max Scherzer has this physical status:

College career

Scherzer made so much effort in his comeback that his head whip fell off his cap even more than his cap. Tony Vitello, one of Scherzer's assistants, had helped recruit him and eventually convinced him to pitch with greater accuracy and control, as well as avoiding leaping at hitters, which frequently caused him to miss up and in to right-handed batters. He did not pitch the final 50 days of his freshman season, opting instead of playing out and doing long toss, while increasing speed. Vitello and head coach Tim Jamieson brought him back to a point of balance and not to slip over his front foot. Scherzer modified his appearance and continued to play regularly over the winter, resulting in a 1.86 earned run average (ERA) and 131 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched over 16 games during his sophomore season. He received the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Award in 2005.

Scherzer would be one of six new inductees to the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame on January 9, 2012.

Professional career

Scherzer made his La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods League (NWL), a collegiate summer baseball league, following his freshman year at the University of Missouri in 2004. He went 2–1 this summer with a 1.91 ERA and six saves. In only 33 innings pitched, he struck out 50 batters. He was named as a mid-season All-Star.

Scherzer was the first overall pick of the 2006 MLB draft, making him Mizzou's first-ever MLB first-round draft pick.

The Diamondbacks' Scout Chief Mike Rizzo marveled that Scherzer struck hitters with a ferociousness he had never seen. Including Luke Hochevar (first overall pick), Brandon Morrow, Clayton Kershaw, and Tim Lincecum were selected ahead of him. Scouting reports chastised Scherzer for too violent of a service, but Rizzo and other Arizona scouts determined that "the mashup of his arm movement, his pitching IQ, and his attacking mode made him 'Mad Max,' in the draft room. He screamed at you. He looked ill. He seemed mad."

Scherzer and his agent, Scott Boras, were unable to reach an agreement with the club at first. Scherzer began his professional baseball career with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association, which is an acronym that stands out. He signed a four-year, $4.3 million deal with the Diamondbacks after playing in three games.

With the Single-A Visalia Oaks in 2007, he began playing in the Diamondbacks group in 2007. After three solid starts for the Oaks, he was promoted to Double-A Mobile BayBears. He was dubbed the fourth-best prospect in the Diamondbacks organization during the 2008 offseason. He was called up to the Diamondbacks on April 27, 2008 after a good start to the 2008 season in Triple-A Tucson.

Scherzer made his MLB debut against the Houston Astros on April 29, 2008, killing the first batter he encountered, Jack Cassel. He threw 413 perfect innings while striking out seven runs out of seven wickets. While doing so, he set a record for the number of consecutive batters retired (13) for a pitcher making his MLB debut as a reliever. Pete Richert of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a new record of 12 set in 1962. In a debut relief appearance, the seven strikeouts fell one shy of the MLB record for the most strikes outs. Barry Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates had eight on April 20, 1986. The Diamondbacks announced on April 30, 2008, he would be inserted in the starting rotation, which was an honor. Scherzer scored five runs (two earned) in four innings in his first appearance as a starter for the D-Backs, while striking out five out five runs in four innings, his first loss in his major league career. For a large part of the 2008 season, he returned to the bullpen. He was 0–4 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 games (seven starts) and took out 66 batters in 56 innings for the season.

Scherzer was a member of the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the 2008 Arizona Fall League season.

Scherzer made his debut in 2009 as a full-time starter, filling his fifth starter role in the starting rotation. In a 12–0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on May 16, 2009, he won his first major league victory in his first major league victory. Scherzer won his second match of his career on May 26. He finished the 2009 season with 30 starts, a 9-11 record, 4.12 ERA, and 144 strikeouts in 170+13 innings pitched.

Scherzer spent time with the Colorado State University baseball team in Fort Collins, Colorado, during the 2009 season.

Arizona traded Scherzer, along with Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke, and Austin Jackson to the Detroit Tigers on December 9, 2009, as part of a three-team deal that brought Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks and Curtis Granderson to the New York Yankees.

Scherzer transformed from a control freak with control issues to ace, teaming with fellow right-hander and future Cy Young Award-winning Justin Verlander to front the Tigers' starting rotation for five seasons in Detroit. They were ruled out of the playoffs in 2010 after a third-place finish, but four straight AL Central division championships followed them. This run culminated in winning the 2012 American League (AL) pennant, but the San Francisco Giants lost in the World Series.

On May 16, Detroit recalled Scherzer and the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, swapping him with Armando Galarraga. Scherzer was recalled to the major leagues for good, going 6–4 in 12 starts with an ERA of 2.62 and 85 strikeouts in 7223 innings.

Scherzer had 14 strikeouts in 5+2/3 innings pitched against the Oakland Athletics on May 30. It was the fourth time he's played in his career that he had 10 or more strikeouts in a single game. He allowed two hits, four walks, and a batter on his last pitch. With Jeremy Bonderman, they tied for the most strikeouts in Comerica Park history, tied for second in franchise history behind Mickey Lolich, who had 16 strikeouts in a single game. Matt Garza, a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, and Scherzer pitched a no-hitter into the sixth inning on July 26. Scherzer lost the no-hit bid, shut down, and game after serving up a grand slam to Matt Joyce after 5+2 two hitsless innings. In the meantime, Garza won by 5–0 in Tampa and opportunely secured the no-hitter. Scherzer struck out eight out of ten.

Scherzer pitched into the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on September 1 for the first time in his career. He gave up one run on four hits and one walk on 107 pitches while striking out nine on 107 pitches, but the Tigers lost the game in the tenth inning, but he was given a no-decision.

Scherzer had a 12.11 record, 3.50 ERA, and 184 strikeouts during the 2010 season. Despite being in the minor leagues, his strikeout total was still good for his tenth in the American League, despite spending some time in the minor leagues.

Scherzer was the third starter in the rotation in 2011 and had six straight starts, becoming the first Tiger since Jeremy Bonderman in 2006 to accomplish this feat. Scherzer had a 15-9 record and was third in the AL in home runs allowed (29), fourth in wild pitch, fifth in hits by pitch (.6205), and tenth in victories.

Scherzer struck out 15 Pittsburgh Pirates in seven innings on May 20, 2012, just one strike shy of tying Lorenz's franchise record. Scherzer surpassed the 200-strike out mark for the first time, placing 231 in the regular season and second in the league to teammate Verlander with 239. Both Scherzer's strikeout rate per nine innings (11.11) and AL's first year were among the AL's top-tenants. He set new records in wins and winning percentage (16–7, 696) during the regular season. Scherzer was 5238, 3.94 ERA, 1.302 WHIP, with averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 191 strikeouts per season in four seasons, from 2009 to 2012.

Despite suffering from a late-season injury, Scherzer played well for the Tigers in the 2012 playoffs, winning the AL Central division. He got off to a 2-0 start and a 2.08 ERA, while knocking out 26 batters in 17.13 innings. The Tigers reached the World Series for the first time in Scherzer's career, and they defeated the San Francisco Giants. In Game 4, he earned three runs in 613 innings while striking out eight batters and a no-decision, while the Tigers lost the game in extra innings, 423.

Scherzer became the first Tigers pitcher to start a season 12–0 after beating the Tampa Bay Rays on June 28, 2013, beating George Mullin's 11–0 start in 1909. Scherzer earned his first big league start since Roger Clemens in 1986 with a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on July 3. On July 13, the Texas Rangers' streak came to an end.

Scherzer was selected by player vote to represent the American League in the 2013 All-Star Game, his first major league All-Star pick. Jim Leyland, who coached the AL All-Star team and was also the Tigers' manager, declared that Scherzer had been chosen as the AL's starting pitcher on July 15. Scherzer was a 13-1 record, 3.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 152 strikeouts in 129+220 innings pitched when he was batting for the All-Star break. In the game, he had a perfect 1-2-3 record, with Joey Votto out for one of three outs.

When Scherzer fanned Jason Kipnis of the Cleveland Indians, he recorded his 1,000th strikeout on August 8. Following Clemens in 2001 and Rube Marquard in 1912, Scherzer became the third pitcher in major league history to start a season 19–1.

Scherzer was the first major league pitcher to reach 20 wins after a 12–5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on September 20, making him the first major league pitcher to reach 20 wins. Following Verlander's 2011 victory, Scherzer became the second Tigers pitcher to reach 20 wins since Bill Gullickson in 1991, and the first in Tiger history. He ended the regular season at 21–3 with a league-leading 0.97 WHIP, 2.90 ERA, and a career-high 240 strikeouts. In 2013, he was the only 20-game champion in the majors. Scherzer's stellar year earned him the 2013 AL Cy Young Award, winning 28 of 30 first-place votes. He was also the winner of the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Pitcher and the Baseball Digest Pitcher of the Year, a series that is restricted to one pitcher in the major leagues annually.

Scherzer put on a good show in Game 1 of the 2013 ALDS versus the Oakland Athletics, with 11 strikeouts and giving up just one hit in the first six innings before loosing a two-run homer to Yoenis Céspedes. When the Tigers defeated the game, he pitched seven innings pitched, giving up three hits. Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, and Josh Reddick were all knocked out twice. Scherzer was supposed to start in Game 5 in the same series, but after losing in Game 4, manager Jim Leyland called him in as a starter in the seventh innings. Scherzer gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the inning, but the Tigers regained control in the bottom of the table. In the top of the eighth, Scherzer began loading the bases with no outs, but wriggled out of danger by knocking out Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt, then getting Alberto Callaspo to line out to the center field. The Tigers won the game, and Scherzer defeated them to advance to 2–0 in the series.

Scherzer continued his brilliance in the 2013 ALCS against the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox. He no-hit Boston for 5+2/3 innings before losing two hits and a run in the sixth round. After seven innings, he had a 5–1 lead and was out 13. However, a group of Tiger relievers took the lead in the eighth innings on a grand slam by David Ortiz, and Boston took the game 6–5, on a walk-off single in the ninth. In Game 6, the Tigers' 5–2 loss, the losing pitcher in the team's last game of the season, Scherzer was the losing pitcher.

Scherzer and the Tigers agreed to a $15.525 million salary for the 2014 season on January 17, 2014, avoiding arbitration for the third year in a row.

In eight innings of a 2–0 win, Scherzer struck out nine Houston Astros batters. It was his seventh straight game from the start of the season with at least seven strikeouts, establishing a Detroit Tigers franchise record. On May 10, the Minnesota Twins won by a single batter in six innings. Nineteen strikes out games in a row, the most major league has ever to start the season, led by Bob Feller in 1946.

Scherzer won by three-hit, 4–0 over Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox on June 12, his first complete game and shutout in his 179th career start. In the game, Scherzer hit out eight batters and expended 113 pitches. It was the first time a major league starter had gone without a complete game since 1900. He had played at least eight innings, including one for nine that ended with extra innings to finish, effectively ending credit for a complete game on 18 previous occasions.

Scherzer was named to his second AL All-Star team by manager John Farrell on July 6, according to manager John Farrell's selection. He pitched a scoreless fifth innings, sacrificed a double to Troy Tulowitzki, and beat Yasiel Puig and Paul Goldschmidt out of the playoffs. Scherzer was crowned AL champion.

Scherzer had an 18-52 record, 3.19 ERA, and 1.75 WHIP. New career bests won, including in innings (220+13) and strikeouts (2222). He and Corey Kluber and Jered Weaver tied for the AL lead.

In Game 1 of the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles, Max made his only postseason appearance of 2014 as a rookie. He was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs (all earned) in 7-13 innings.

Scherzer agreed to a Washington Nationals deal on January 21, 2015, with Rizzo as general manager. The deal was for seven years and $210 million ($240.1 million today), and it included a $50 million signing bonus that would be paid out over 14 years, the first deferral in MLB history. Scherzer had a 3.58 ERA in seven seasons with Arizona and Detroit at the time, winning 91-49 W–L. Scherzer's salary was also projected for the next three years, according to a source on January 22, who also said it was $120 million in 2015 and $15 million in each of the next three seasons. It then increased to $35 million a year in 2019, 2020-2021, the seasons in which his deferrals first began, and 2021. In addition, his deal includes multiple award bonuses as well as a no-trade clause.

Scherzer made his Opening Day start pitcher for the Nationals against the New York Mets on April 6, 2015. In a 3–1 loss, he struck out eight over 7+2/3 innings out of a 3–1 loss. In a 4–0 shutout over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on June 14, 2015, he pitched his second complete game, conceding one hit and one walk. He had six perfect innings before Carlos Gómez, the seventh inning's manager, fought off a 96 mph (154 km/h) fastball for a bloop single to right field inches past second baseman Anthony Rendon's outstretched glove. Scherzer's 16 strikeouts set a new personal record and a Nationals team record for one game over the Pittsburgh Pirates' effort of 14 against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 8, 2010. Scherzer's was the 12th time in MLB history that a score or higher had been recorded.

Scherzer no-hit the Pirates 6–0 at Nationals Park on his first-day appearance. He came within one strike of a perfect game after retiring the first 26 batters, only to be struck by José Tábata, who appeared to lean into the pitch for the 27th time. Josh Harrison, the next batter, was out for the no-hitter on a fly ball, which made it to the no-hitter. This was the 13th time that a perfect game in progress was interrupted by the 27th and presumably last batter. The game result was 97, the second time Scherzer had scored a game score of at least 97 on the season. It was a feat that had only been accomplished twice, first by Nolan Ryan in 1990 and then Pedro Martnez in 2000.

Scherzer's 100th victory of his career came in a 5–2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on June 26, where he allowed both runs over eight innings. It was his third straight start in which he did not allow any base runners for the first five innings. Scherzer's ERA was 1.79 in June, when he was named NL Pitcher of the Month for the second month in a row. He started his last three innings in June with 24 consecutive innings, retired 52 batters without allowing a hit, struck out 33, and ended in 26 of a possible 27 innings.

Scherzer was chosen to play in the All-Star Game that year thanks to a player vote. However, he was unable to attend the game because he had already started on the Sunday before the All-Star break. His season began with a 2.12 ERA, 143 strikeouts, and two complete shutouts.

Scherzer had a 6.08 ERA, seven walks, 11 home runs, a.335/.587 line against and struck out 53 in 40 innings pitched, ending a winless streak of seven starts starting in July 30. In a 5–0 win over Miami, he won his 12th game of the season, defeating them 8 shutouts innings.

Scherzer won his second no-hitter and second of the season on October 3 against the Mets, knocking out a new career-best 17 batters with no walks. Kevin Plawecki was the only base runners allowed in the same inning due to a throwing error by Yunel Escobar and Daniel Murphy's force out of Plawecki. Multiple baseball analysts and commentators discussed the game as one of the best pitching performances of all time, as well as the most dominant no-hitter ever pitched, relying on a number of strikeouts, a lack of walks issued or struck batters, and sheer mastery of the opposing batting order for the third time through the lineup. Scherzer had just one Mets shy of the Major League record set by Tom Seaver in 1970. It tied Nolan Ryan for most strikeouts in a no-hitter, and it made Scherzer the sixth pitcher in MLB history to reach multiple no-hitters in a single season. It was the second-highest game scores of at least 100 points in the same season, with a game score of 104. The game was chosen for the Esurance MLB Award for Best Achievement in 2015.

One tweet adduced that he "was a bloop single, an over-sized elbow pad, and a throwing mistake away from throwing three perfect games" in Scherzer's three most memorable performances of the season. The description was almost exact; however, Scherz issued a base on balls to Scooter Gennett after allowing Gómez to reach on a force out after Plawecki failed on an error, leaving Scherzer five batters short of three excellent games. As a result of that season, he became the first to have three games scores of 97 or higher in one season since at least 1914. Only two other pitchers to post three-game averages of 95 or more in one season were Ryan and Walter Johnson (1918). With a week remaining in a season that also featured mammoth offensive feats from NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Bryce Harper, the Nationals were officially kicked out of playoff contention.

Scherzer had a 2.79 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 2015, when striking out 276 batters against only 34 walks for a record-breaking 8.12 K:BB ratio. He also led all major league pitchers in first-strike percentages (73.3%). Despite these extraordinary figures, Scherzer was often the victim of poor hitting support, compiling just 14-12 figures.

Scherzer beat 20 Detroit Tiger batters in a single game played by Roger Clemens (twice), Randy Johnson, and Kerry Wood on May 11, 2016, tying the record for strikeouts over nine innings in a single game. In a regulation game in the 21st century, Scherzer became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters. He achieved the feat and won a match against former Nationals teammate Jordan Zimmermann; the final score was 3–2. Scherzer was the only pitchers to have played both a 20 strikeout game and a no-hitter during their careers, and Johnson was the only one to have won both a 20 strikeout game and a no-hitter. Nine of the strikeouts were out for three runs on three-pitch at-bats. Scherzer did not produce more than 16 runs in any inning out of 119 total pitches dismissed; 96 were for strikes; Scherzer did not produce more than 16 in any inning. It was the first time in history that more pitches were used in a game of 125 or fewer pitches, 96 or more were struck. It was the third time Tiger manager Brad Ausmus was on the losing side of a 20-strike out game; the first two were as a spectator. It was also Scherzer's first match against Detroit, naming him as the 17th hurler to win against all 30 MLB franchises.

Scherzer was called to the National League squad in San Diego on July 8, 2016 as a roster substitute for teammate Stephen Strasburg, who had been recently activated from the DL. In the sixth inning, Scherzer was able to relieve himself, allowing no baserunners. His overall batting record included a career-best 12 RBI, which ranked second among major league pitchers to Adam Wainwright with 18.

Scherzer was named the National League Cy Young Award winner on November 16, 2016, earning his second Cy Young Award, MLB-leading 284 strikeouts, and an MLB-leading 0.968 WHIP. In both the American and National Leagues, he was just the sixth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win the award in both the American and National Leagues. He received two of the 2016 Esurance MLB/This Year in Baseball Awards: for Best Pitcher and Best Overall Performance, and his 20-strikeout game was named out for Best Performance.

Scherzer missed the 2017 season after suffering a stress fracture in his right ring finger. He made it to spring training but skipped the World Baseball Classic. Despite this, he did not have to wait any time on the injured list to begin the season. In the fourth inning versus Philadelphia, he pitched his first career immaculate inning, knocking out César Hernández, Odubel Herrera, and Aaron Altherr on nine pitches. It was the 84th immaculate inning in the major leagues and second in Nationals' history, following Zimmermann's 2011 victory over the Florida Marlins. Scherzer struck out 14 people in a 2–1 victory over the Dodgers on June 6, a 2–1 victory. Despite his own throwing error on a pickoff attempt, two walks allowed, and Matt Wieters' passed ball, he got the first ten outs of the game by strikeout.

By striking out Nomar Mazara of the Texas Rangers on June 11, Scherzer became the third-fastest pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts (after Nolan Ryan and Clayton Kershaw). In the third innings (1,784), Scherzer also reached the 2,000 plateau, behind Pedro Martone (1,711+13) and Randy Johnson (1,733+13). Scherzer was on handout against the Marlins on June 21 until A. J. Ellis tipped off Scherzer's glove and trickled toward shortstop Trea Turner for Miami's first hit. At that point in the game, Scherzer had struck out 11 times and allowed one to walk. He received the National Pitcher of the Month Award for June, allowing 14 hits and four earned runs for a 0.99 ERA over the course of 36+1 innings. He was 3–2 on average, with 51 out of 49 innings hitting out 51 for an average of 12.63 per nine innings.

Scherzer was selected as the squad's starting pitcher in his fifth MLB All-Star Game, making him the team's oldest starter in the lineup. He was the fifth pitcher to start at least one All-Star Game for both the American and National leagues. He surpassed a ten-five record and a NL-leading combination of a 2.10 ERA and 173 strikeouts at the time of his pick. Played at Marlins Park in Miami and struck out Aaron Judge and George Springer.

Scherzer launched his first home run on August 1 with a three-run blast off Chris O'Grady of the Marlins, but the game was called off shortly after due to neck spats. For the first time since 2009, the neck pains resurfaced, and the club put Scherzer on the disabled list, retroactive to August 15. As the neck pain resurfaced, he was forced to start against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on August 18. Scherzer returned to the rotation against the Marlins on August 28, defeating them.

Scherzer scored 250 strikeouts in his fourth straight season, making him the fourth pitcher in major league history to do so following Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martez. Scherzer won by eight runs and six walks allowed to Atlanta in his previous career to defeat seven runs and six walks allowed in a 4–2 victory over Atlanta.

Scherzer had a 16–6 record and a 2.51 ERA in the 2017 season. With 268 strikeouts, a 0.90 WHIP, and a.178 batting average against, he led the National League with a.90 WHIP. Scherzer was also the third starting pitcher in a season (268) as hits allowed (296), with Pedro Martinez leading out 284 strikeouts and 181 hits in 2001, and later by both Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in 2019). Scherzer barely escaped achieving this remarkable feat in the first year of the 2018 season, where he had 300 strikeouts and just 150 hits allowed. Scherzer was also the largest player in the majors in 2017 with the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls (26.5%).

Scherzer received a starting pitcher on Baseball America's All-MLB Team at the end of season. Scherzer also won the 2017 National League Cy Young Award, his third appearance in the sport's third year, making him the tenth pitcher to win at least three times in history. He was the National League Outstanding Pitcher for the second time in his career. He was also inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame in late 2017, alongside Mike Trout and David Wright, and the Scottsdale Scorpions have had his number 51 jersey retired. He had a 2.13 ERA in eight games in 2017 and a 3.38 ERA over four starts in 2008.

Sports Illustrated rated Scherzer as the best overall player in baseball and fourth-best overall player in the game, ahead of Trout, José Altuve, and Kris Bryant. Scherzer's first 98 appearances with the Nationals from 2015 to 2017 had the most innings, strikeouts, and pitching WAR. He started a game with at least five hitless innings 11 times, one of which was unsuccessfully concluding two no-hitters. He made his third appearance on the opening day for Washington and knocked out seven straight Cincinnati Reds batters on his way to a 20 victory. His ten batters set a new club Opening Day record. In the seventh inning versus pitcher Peter Moylan and catcher Kurt Suzuki, who were in Atlanta on April 9, he stole his first base in his career. Scherzer played a complete game shutout, the fifth in his career. He struck out 10 and allowed two hits and no walks. Although he was winning the league in strikeouts (57) and wins (4) and placed fourth in each of ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.82), and opposing batting average (.165), he received the NL Pitcher of the Month Award in April. Scherzer made history by registering 15 strikeouts in a single game in 6+13 innings (19 outs) or fewer on May 6, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In the third, fourth, and fifth innings, twelve consecutive outs came out versus a strike out, with the team winning the game by a single point. It was his fifth-longest streak in major league history, his fifth straightout game, and the 69th with at least 10 players. In the fourth inning that resulted in a 3–1 Nationals win, he got off to a good start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he struck out 11 batters and scored an RBI double for the go-ahead run. Scherzer started his season with a 31-inning outing against the Dodgers on May 19. With 65+2/3 realized in 2001, it tied Kerry Wood's record for fewest innings to reach 100 strikeouts. Despite this, the Nationals lost the game 4–5, prompting Sean Doolittle's blown save.

Scherzer won his first game at 20-0 over Baltimore on May 30, the first time a player has won a career, while striking out 12 out of eight shutout innings. After going 4–0 with a 2.21 ERA and a league-leading 63 strikeouts, he was named NL Pitcher of the Month for the month of May—his second monthly award. In the 14th inning against the Braves on June 2, Scherzer singled for his first career pinch hit and gave the go-ahead run on a triple by Wilmer Difo. Scherzer scored his second career inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 5 in the sixth inning, knocking out Johnny Field, Christian Arroyo, and Daniel Robertson. He made Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Sandy Koufax the only (at the time) MLB pitchers to have fielded multiple immaculate innings in a career. As the Nationals defeated 4–2, Scherzer allowed both runs as earned, five hits, and finished with 13 strikeouts, the first in the major leagues with 10 victories.

Scherzer lost three times in a row as the Nationals' offense was shut down each time. On July 2, he lost his fourth outing, 433, to the Boston Red Sox, his 1,000th strikeout since joining Washington. He was voted the 11th pitcher in major league history to have 1,000 strikeouts with two different clubs. He was selected as the NL starting pitcher in the All-Star Game and spent his third time in Nationals Park. Scherzer became the third All-Star Game starter in less than 30 years after allowing a home run to Aaron Judge. He scored his 200th strikeout in 2018 against the Marlins on July 27, retiring Justin Bour with a swinging catchout, to gridlock with Walter Johnson and Roger Clemens with seven seasons of 200 or more strikeouts. During nine seasons, the three were tied for all-time records with Seaver.

During a primetime night game at Wrigley Field on August 12, Scherzer pitched 7 solid shutout innings, striking out 11 out 11 while giving up just three hits and one walk. He was given a no-decision once more. In the bottom of the ninth, Nationals pitcher Ryan Madson hit two batters and gave up an infield single before delivering a "golden homer" - a 2 out, 2 strike, walk-off grand slam to Cubs rookie David Bote. "I mean, it's a gut punch," Scherzer said after the game.

Scherzer recorded 300 strikeouts on the season on September 25, knocking out Austin Dean of the Miami Marlins in a 10-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning of a 9–4 Nationals win.

Scherzer was 18-07 with a 2.53 ERA in the 2018 season. He threw 3,493 pitches, more than any other major league pitcher. In Cy Young Award voting, he came in second, behind Jacob deGrom.

On Open Day 2019 against Jacob deGrom of the Mets, Scherzer got off the nationals.

Scherzer was the 35th pitcher in Major League history to hit 2,500 strikeouts, with Manuel Margot of the San Diego Padres seeing three pitches in the seventh inning. He was the third fastest person to do the feat based on innings pitched (2155+13) to lead Johnson and Martnez.

While bunting in batting practice on June 18, Scherzer suffered a fractured nose after a ball struck him in the chest. Nonetheless, he got off to a slew of games against the Philadelphia Phillies the next day. As the Nationals defeated 2–0, he threw 117 pitches and struck out ten Phillies hitters over seven scoreless innings with discoloration near his right eye. In a game called "British Oaks" on June 30, he met his old team, the Detroit Tigers. It was his first game at Comerica Park since joining the Nationals, and the first since the 2016 20 strikeout game. In a 2–1 victory in his 90th double-digit strikeout game, he struck out 14 while allowing four hits over eight wickets in his 90th career double-digit strikeout game.

Scherzer went 6–0 over six starts and 45 innings in June, en route to a monumental show. While recording at least 68 strikeouts in one calendar month, he was the fourth pitcher since 1920 to reach a ERA of 1.00 or lower. It was also the first time since 1908 that any pitcher had struck out at least 68 batters when issuing five or fewer walks in a single month. Scherzer had 24 such games, the third-most in history, despite two more games with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks issued. For the sixth time, he was named NL Pitcher of the Month.

Scherzer was named to the National League team in Cleveland, his seventh straight all-star pick. He spent time on the injured list beginning in July, suffering from bursitis in his right scapula and a strain on his right rhomboid muscle in his upper back.

Scherzer closed 2019 with an 11-72 record, 102 hits allowed, 1.027 WHIP, and 243 strikeouts, despite over 27 total starts and 17201+13 IP. At 7.364, he led all major league pitchers in strikeouts/walks ratios, while Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), at 2.45. He was also the NL captain of SO/9 at 12.7 percent. He came in third in strikeouts and fifth in adjusted ERA+.

Scherzer opened the NL Wild Card Game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched five innings and gave up home runs to Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames. The Nationals then came back to beat the Brewers by 4–3. With that victory, they were able to advance to the NLDS to face the Dodgers. In Game 4 of a 6–1 victory, Scherzer was the winning pitcher, and the Nationals captured the series in five games.

Following the NLDS, the Nationals advanced to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the St. Louis Cardinals, where Scherzer was given the starting assignment for Game 2. With two outs in Game 1, starter Anil Sánchez lost a game for a no-hitter. Scherzer pushed his own no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving Paul Goldschmidt a leadoff single. Both Sánchez and Scherzer had achieved as teammates in Detroit in Games 1 and 2 of the 2013 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, and their results matched a feat. With five hitless innings, the two pitchers launched their respective games. In consecutive postseason games, no other pair of starting pitchers had ever taken no-hitters into the sixth inning against the same team.

The Nationals qualified to the World Series to meet the Houston Astros, who also won the American League pennant championship. Scherzer was aligned with old rotation mate Justin Verlander, who was named the year's AL Cy Young champion, in this championship race. The pair did not face each other explicitly in any form before getting off the ground. Scherzer opened Game 1 in Houston by giving up two runs over five innings and winning by the end. He had intended to start Game 5 at Nationals Park but was delayed due to severe neck pains for which he missed a cortisone shot. Scherzer instead began Game 7 in Houston, losing two runs over five innings. When the Nationals returned to win the game and the Series, he had a no decision. It was the first franchise championship in franchise history and the first for Scherzer.

Scherzer's other end-of-season honors included selection to the inaugural All-MLB Team as one of five starting pitchers. In the NL Cy Young Award rankings, he came third, behind deGrom and Hyun-jin Ryu.

Scherzer compiled a 5–4 record with a 3.2 ERA, his best since 2011, as well as 92 strikeouts in 12 starts, a pandemic-shortened 2020 season. His 1.38 percent WHIP was also his best of his career.

Scherzer pitched his first complete game of the season against the Marlins on May 2, 2021, to Isan Daz in the ninth inning, while striking out nine and allowing no bases on balls. Scherzer faced the New York Yankees on May 8, striking out 14 over 721 runs and one walk. It was his 100th double-digit strikeout game of his career, making him just the fifth pitcher to reach the landmark after Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martez. The 14 strikeouts tied for the first time by an opposing pitcher of Yankee Stadium's then-current iteration, which opened in 2009.

After being traded, Scherzer was named by his former club as the season's Roberto Clemente Award recipient, honoring his family's service to the Washington, D.C. region.

Scherzer and Trea Turner were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 30, 2021—the day of the MLB trade deadline—with the Nationals under.500 and Scherzer in the final year of his deal, as well as Trea Turner in exchange for Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, Donovan Casey, and Gerardo Carrillo. Scherzer won his Dodgers debut against the Houston Astros on August 4, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs and striking out ten batters.

Scherzer struck out Eric Hosmer in the fifth inning of a game against the San Diego Padres on September 12 for his 19th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts. Scherzer tying Sandy Koufax and Chris Sale for the most immaculate innings in a major-league game in his third season. In addition, Scherzer had a good game into the eighth inning before Hosmer doubled to deep right field with one out. Scherzer was voted NL Player of the Week on September 13 by the week's youngest child. It was the sixth time in his career that he had been named Player of the Week. Scherzer's first nine appearances with the Dodgers earned five earned runs in 58 innings for a 0.78 ERA. He had a 15-4 record and led all qualified pitchers with a 0.86 WHIP and a.185 batting average against during the 2021 season. In a game the Dodgers eventually won 3-1 on a walk-off homer, he started for the Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching 41-23 innings, while allowing one run on three hits in a game that the Dodgers eventually lost 3-1 on a walk-off home run.

Scherzer took seven innings in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, allowing only Evan Longoria's solo home run in the fifth innings. It was the Dodgers' first loss with Scherzer on the field. Pitching on two days' rest, he made his first major league save in Game 5 of the NLDS on October 14 for his first major league save, winning by a 2–1 clinching victory. He started with four runs on four hits against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLCS, pitching 4+1/3 innings and allowing two runs on four hits before striking out seven runs. He remarked after the game that his arm was dead in the game and that he was unable to properly get loose. He was supposed to start again in Game 6, but he was forced to miss the game due to arm pain. Following the World Series, Scherzer became a free agent after his Dodgers' contract ended.

Scherzer was named the Best Pitcher of the Year by Sporting News NL and the NL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year Award winner. He came in third in the NL Cy Young Awards, earning six first-place votes.

Scherzer has agreed to a three-year, $130 million deal with the New York Mets. The contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $43.3 million, the highest AAV in MLB history, trouncing Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees' who had a record of $36 million.

Scherzer won in his Mets debut against his former team, the Washington Nationals, on April 8, 2022. Scherzer's first visit to Nationals Park as a visitor was his first visit to the National Park in nearly 12 years.

Scherzer won his third game of the 2022 season on April 19, 2022, while his first victory with the Mets at Citi Field came as a result of a strike out 10 and allowing a run in seven innings. During a Subway Series match against the New York Yankees on August 22, Scherzer scored his 3,155th strikeout. He earned his 13th spot on the all-time strikeout list, beating Pedro Martnez. After pitching six perfect innings at American Family Field in his return from the injured list, Scherzer won his 200th game of his career on September 19, 2022. The Mets clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are the only active pitchers with 200 wins.

International career

In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Scherzer would compete for Team USA. However, in early January 2017, it was revealed that he would not participate in the tournament after suffering a stress fracture in his right ring finger's knuckle. Tanner Roark, a teammate, had him removed.

Source