Mets' Max Scherzer happy to have messy outing vs. Nationals
Max Scherzer was hit with two clock violations plus a quick-pitch balk that prompted a discussion with plate umpire Jeremy Riggs on Friday, March 3, 2023. Credit: Lynne Sladky
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The third and final inning of Max Scherzer’s exhibition outing Friday against the Nationals was a total mess, featuring three umpire- and rules-related pauses, a pair of fielding errors by surehanded Luis Guillorme and far more pitches than the righthanded ace needed in his previous two innings combined.
He was grateful for that.
“If you just throw three perfect innings, that’s really not good in spring training,” said Scherzer, who didn’t allow a ball out of the infield in the first two frames. “You want to be in these situations, you want hits and runners on base, to be pressing what you can and can’t do with runners on base. If there was ever a time for Guillorme to kick two balls, man, this was it.”
He told Guillorme as much during the Mets’ 11-6 loss.
“Oh, yeah,” Scherzer said. “ ‘Don’t worry, you got my pitch count up. That was great.’ ”
Scherzer wound up allowing seven runs, none earned, in 2 2⁄3 innings (49 pitches). His biggest takeaway was his continued experience with the new rules, especially the pitch clock.
First he got dinged for an automatic ball for not being ready in time at the start of the inning. Then he said he “forgot about the time” during a pitch clock violation, but he was fine with that because he didn’t get called on it until the clock sat at “00” for about a second, a dynamic he was previously unsure about. And then he got called for a quick-pitch balk, which he didn’t understand.
“All right. Good. Find the worst of these rules now,” he said. “You have to press the limit on what you can and can’t do. I pressed it today.”
This year more than usual, spring training is a time of experimentation.
“Max and a lot of veteran pitchers and pitchers in general are going to use this time to test some things and make adjustments,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Everybody up here is looking for a competitive edge.”
Amped-up Alvarez
Francisco Alvarez caught the final three innings against Washington, his first behind-the-plate action of the Grapefruit League season. He said he was so excited before entering that he paced in the batting cage, unable to focus on hitting.
“You can tell he was excited to be out there,” Showalter said.
The Mets delayed Alvarez’s defensive debut because of his right ankle surgery in October. Now that he is back in the field, they will get a better sense of what progress he has made defensively.
The biggest focal point: “pitch presentation,” as Showalter called it, or framing.
Talent time
The Mets held their talent show Friday morning, a team-bonding occasion instituted by Showalter that he said was very popular.
“It’s the first year I ever had to shorten the roster. Very confident group,” he said. “We’ll find out about the baseball, but I know we got some talents in other areas . . . You find something out that you didn’t know. Always positive. It’s a good vibe. The guys look forward to it and they took a lot of pride in it.”
Did anybody’s act get booed?
“One. But it wasn’t his fault,” Showalter said. “One was a little dangerous, but it wasn’t by a player.”
All grown up
Among the highlights for former Mets infielder — and minor-league coach/manager — Edgardo Alfonzo during his stint in camp as a guest instructor: checking in with the prospects he had when they were younger. Brett Baty, for example, played for his championship Brooklyn Cyclones squad in 2019.
“It’s amazing. You feel so happy for them because they deserve it,” Alfonzo said. “When they first came to Brooklyn, our job was to introduce them to professional baseball. Now you see all the work they’re doing and the shape they’re in. Enjoy what they’re doing. It’s special.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
