Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddox expressed the possibility of being on the ALCS roster, saying he was "inspired by the rapid recovery" after Max Scherzer's bullpen pitching. In the photo, Maddox coach checking Scherzer over his shoulder against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 13. AP Yonhap News
Max Scherzer (39) returns for the Championship Series.
Scherzer threw a bullpen session at Globe Life Field in preparation for the American League Championship Series (ALCS), which will begin at Houston Minute Maid Park from the 16th. It is his second bullpen pitching since he was included on the Injured List. 스포츠토토
After pitching, Scherzer said, "I'm in good shape. I've checked everything and I can do it. "I'm ready now," he said, declaring his return to the mound. Texas, which has advanced to the ALCS for the first time in 12 years since 2011, will have only a thousand pitchers on the 26-member active roster.
However, coach Bruce Bochy could not talk to reporters because there was no meeting. Pitcher coach Mike Maddox said he was encouraged by Scherzer's quick recovery. Scherzer hired the New York Mets at the trade deadline. With a current annual salary of $43.33 million, he is the highest paid player in the MLB along with Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros, who will face off this time.
Scherzer left the lineup due to a shoulder injury after pitching three hits, one walk and two strikeouts in 5.1 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on the 12th of last month. He was listed on the IL as of the 14th. For Texas, which is trying to catch the last-minute postseason ticket, Scherzer's gap was huge. However, the starters, including Jordan Montgomery, Nathan Ivaldi and Andrew Haney, participated in the fall baseball festival as they regained their form in the first half. In fact, it seemed almost impossible for Scherzer to return to the 2023 season at this time.
Bochy predicted left-hander Montgomery (30) in the first round of the ALCS. Houston will have 40-year-old veteran Justin Verlander. Montgomery pitched in Game 1 of the wild card series (WC) against the Tampa Bay Rays and Game 2 of the division series (ALDS) against the Baltimore Orioles. In the first game of WC, he pitched seven innings without allowing any runs on six hits, and in the ALDS, he pitched nine hits and five runs (four earned runs) in four innings.
Verlander, who took the mound in Game 1 of the ALDS without WC, became a winning pitcher with six innings, four hits, three walks, and six strikeouts as a strong pitcher in the postseason. He has 16 wins in the postseason.
Bochy is certain to include Scherzer on the 26-man roster. However, it is unclear whether he will use it as a starting pitcher or a bullpen card. Bochy's bullpen management is well-known as the best player in the Major League. Pitcher coach Mike Maddox is also a 21-year veteran.
Max Scherzer of the Texas Rangers, who was replaced six times against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 13 and heads from the dugout to the locker. At some time, the prospect that the 2023 season was over was dominant.
Scherzer wore a WS-winning ring for the 2019 Washington Nationals. In the postseason, he won seven games and lost seven games and had an ERA of 3.58, which is not very strong or weak compared to the regular season. He played a total of 27 games, with 22 starts. Five games were played from the bullpen. This is why the bullpen input in ALCS is not awkward.
Scherzer vs Verlander's starting match in this ALCS is difficult to achieve. This can be seen from the fact that the first round has already been announced. The two played for the Detroit Tigers and reunited this year at the New York Mets. However, as the Mets' performance plummeted, Scherzer was traded to Texas and Verlander to Houston.