Scherzer tests limits of newly implemented pitch clock

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Max Scherzer doesn’t quite know all of the limits of the pitch clock, but he’s eager to push all of them until he figures them out.

Scherzer worked quickly and efficiently through the first two innings of his Grapefruit League start against the Washington Nationals on Friday at Clover Park. He ran into trouble in the third inning, but trouble was exactly what he was looking for.

“If you just throw three perfect innings, that’s really not good in spring training,” Scherzer said after departing the game. “You want to be in these situations, you want to have hits and runners on base and be pressing what you can and can’t do with runners on base.”

Scherzer allowed seven unearned runs and none earned on five hits over 2 innings. In the third inning, he was called for a balk and had a double play removed because of a pitch clock violation. Luis Guillorme also made two extremely uncharacteristic errors and all of this resulted in an eight-run inning.

“If there was ever a time for Guillorme to kick two balls, man, this was it,” Scherzer said.

The right-handed ace also told his shortstop the same thing in the dugout.

Ildemaro Vargas singled to lead off the third inning and give Scherzer five additional seconds to work with for the next hitter, Victor Robles. Scherzer wanted to quick pitch Robles after he called his only timeout but was called for a balk when home plate umpire Jeremy Riggs determined he threw the ball before the hitter was ready. Vargas advanced on the balk.

Robles managed a weak ground ball but it took a hop on Guillorme at shortstop, and the infielder was unable to make the play.

With runners on the corners and none out, Scherzer held the ball until the clock hit 0:00 before throwing his first pitch to Riley Adams. This wasn’t exactly intentional, but it did serve a purpose. Knowing that a shot clock in basketball goes below 0:00, Scherzer wanted to find out if it was the same in baseball.

Adams managed a weak ground ball that was turned for a double play but the umpires called it back because as it turns out, the clock doesn’t go below 0:00 in baseball.