Max to continue calling own pitches in certain situations

PORT ST. LUCIE — Max Scherzer on Friday continued an exercise he began in his first start of the exhibition season, when called about a quarter of his own pitches, though he couldn’t identify the exact number.

Such logistics are possible through PitchCom and MLB’s decision this season to allow pitchers to wear the signaling device on their gloves. Last year, in the first season of the technology, only the catcher could wear the signaling device, which transmits an audible pitch call to players wearing the receiver.

“I’m letting [Tomas] Nido call the game, it’s just when I want to throw a certain pitch in a certain situation,” Scherzer said. “And it works. You could tell they were ready for me to work quickly today. You can use that to your advantage in speeding up and slowing down the game.”

Scherzer might be the only Mets pitcher who will call his own pitches. Nido told The Post he doesn’t envision others following the Mets co-ace’s lead in that regard.

Justin Verlander said he might wear the signaling device in his glove for emergencies, such as when the pitch clock is set to expire and he needs to quickly deliver. But Verlander wouldn’t commit to calling his own pitches with any kind or regularity.

“I talked to Max about it and sometimes you want a suggestion [from the catcher] because you just want the feedback and sometimes you just know what you want to throw,” Verlander said. “Those occasions are when he was like, ‘I already know. I threw this pitch to get to this pitch. Let’s not waste time.’ ”

Carlos Carrasco joked that Chris Bassitt, who pitched for the Mets last year and was notorious for shaking off the catcher, would probably be calling all his own pitches under the new rules.

But Carrasco has reservations about calling his own pitches.

“I think right now I am just going to leave it to the catcher,” he said. “I didn’t have any problem with Nido last year, so every pitch he called I just went with. I don’t know how I am going to work with [Omar] Narvaez, but as of right now I am just going to follow the catcher.”

The ability for pitchers to call pitches when needed will be a boon, according to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

“The beauty of it is if [Scherzer] is really convicted in a pitch he has the ability to do it,” Hefner said. “That just speeds the game up and he can use that to his advantage. That’s how I see it being used, not so much where they are calling their entire game.”