Scherzer exploring details of new rule changes in spring debut win
PORT ST. LUCIE — Between the combination of Pitchcom and the pitch clock, Max Scherzer can work “extremely quick or extremely slow.”
If you watched him Sunday at Clover Field, you saw both extremes. Scherzer made his first start of the 2023 Grapefruit League season and first one with the pitch clock. The ace has long been a supporter of the timer, saying it allows pitchers to better dictate the pace of games, but it also allows pitchers to dictate some mind games.
“There’s another layer here to be able to mess with the hitter’s time,” Scherzer said. “I can come set before the hitter is really even in the box. I can’t pitch until 0:08, but as soon as his eyes drop I can go. So I had that conversation with the umpire to make sure that’s legal, and that is.”
With one on and none out in the second inning and Washington Nationals third baseman Michael Chavis at the plate, Scherzer came set so early that Chavis was thrown off and forced to call timeout. Hitters can only use one timeout now, so it would benefit them to be strategic about when they disengage from the at-bat.
“If you step out early, the pitchers are going to dictate the rest of the at-bat,” Mets’ manager Buck Showalter said.
With Matt Adams on first base, Scherzer had 20 seconds to throw, and he decided to take nearly all 20 of them. Chavis squibbed a single. This at-bat might have been an example of gamesmanship in the past, but not if it’s about a pitcher having the upper hand.
Shortly after that at-bat is when Scherzer had that conversation with the umpire about the specifics of the rule. He plans to use them to his advantage as much as possible, and the pitcher-first Pitchcom system is one of the ways he can do that.
Scherzer was vocal about his dislike for Pitchcom when it was introduced last season, saying he always prided himself on using specific sets of signs. But this spring Major League Baseball is letting pitchers wear wristbands that allow them to signal to the catcher what’s coming next.
It’s an extension of the Pitchcom system used last season, and Scherzer felt that it played right into his ability to pitch with pace and keep hitters fooled.
“[Omar Narvaez] is calling the game. And when I had an instinct of when I knew I wanted to throw a pitch in and its location, I can just call it,” Scherzer said. “I can work extremely fast and use that to my advantage.”
Scherzer allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out five in two innings of work in the Mets’ 6-3 win over the Nats.
At some point the hitters will use the rules to their benefit too, but that’s part of the “cat-andmouse” game between the hitter and pitcher.
“I think it’s yet to see how it works out,” Showalter said. “Something you think is an advantage might not be. Who knows?”
Mauricio makes waves
The Mets may have a problem on their hands — though it’s a good problem to have.
Shortstop Ronny Mauricio is developing at a rapid pace.
His power was on full display against Washington on Sunday when he hit a towering home run off of right-hander Anthony Castro in the bottom of the eighth.
As it turns out, 450 feet isn’t even close to the longest home run he’s ever hit — he hit one 507 feet last season against Double-a Somerset.
The 21-year-old Mauricio was recently named the Dominican Winter League MVP after leading the league in several offensive categories for the Tigres del Licey. He hit .287 with an .803 OPS and five home runs.