Minor leagues In December 1963, Scherman signed with the
Minnesota Twins organization. A
Philadelphia Phillies coach offered him a $1,000 signing bonus to play as a
first baseman, but he chose the Twins who offered him $5,000 to play as a pitcher. He dropped out of Ohio State to play for the Twins. During the 1964 season, he played for the Single-A
Orlando Twins in the
Florida State League, compiling a 14-13 record with a 2.33 ERA in 30 games (28 as a starter). During the 1964 season, Scherman beat the
Lakeland Tigers four times and drew the attention of Lakeland manager
Al Federoff. Federoff suggested that the parent club, the
Detroit Tigers, draft him. Based on Federoff's recommendation, the Tigers drafted Scherman from the Twins in December 1964 for a price of $8,000. Scherman was assigned to the
Rocky Mount Leafs where Federoff became the manager. He was hit by a pitch at one point and suffered damage to the tendons in the elbow of his throwing arm. The injury almost ended his career, but Federoff stuck with him, allowing Scherman to rehabilitate by pitching to one batter, one inning, two innings, then extending until his arm was back. Scherman spent a total of four seasons in the Tigers' farm system, including stints with the Rocky Mount (1965-1966),
Montgomery Rebels (1966-1967), and
Toledo Mud Hens (1968). He was a starter until 1967 and 1968, when he worked mostly as a relief pitcher. During the 1968 season, he compiled an 8-2 record with a 1.76 ERA in 30 games (22 in relief) for Toledo. The 1968 Toledo team, managed by
Jack Tighe, compiled an 83-64 record with 13 future major league pitchers, including Scherman,
Mike Marshall,
Jim Rooker,
Tom Timmermann,
Les Cain,
Dick Drago,
Dick Radatz,
Mike Kilkenny, and
Jack DiLauro.
Detroit Tigers He joined the Tigers at the start of the 1969 season and made his major league debut on April 26, 1969, giving up a home run to
Carl Yastrzemski in his first appearance. He was returned to Toledo where he compiled a 6-3 record and 3.16 ERA. recorded his first major league win against the
Oakland Athletics on August 28 (on a walk-off home run by
Jim Northrup), and finished the 1969 season with a 1-0 record and 6.76 ERA. He later recalled: "Day after day, I'd come to the ballpark, and nobody would even talk to me. . . . It got so I dreaded to go to the ballpark." In a 2018 interview, Scherman said: "Mayo just had this thing that he didn't want me on the team.
Johnny Sain wanted me on the team, and the general manager
Jim Campbell wanted me on the team, but Mayo calls the shots. So he says ok put him on the team but I just won't pitch him." One bright spot in Scherman's 1969 season was his experience with Detroit pitching coach
Johnny Sain. Scherman credited
Johnny Sain with building his confidence, encouraging him and helping him with the mental part of the game. In 1970, Scherman spent his first full season in the majors, joining
Tom Timmermann,
John Hiller, and
Daryl Patterson in the Tigers' bullpen. He earned his first save on May 22, appeared in 48 games for the Tigers (all in relief), and compiled a 4-4 record with a 3.23 ERA. He also struck out 58 batters in
innings pitched. By early June, he had appeared in 26 of the Tigers' 50 games and had a 4-0 record and 1.92 ERA. Interviewed at the time, Scherman said: "I'm in the groove right now. . . . I don't think I'm doing anything different. The guys are just making the plays. With the players we've got -- the infield we've got -- I just try to get them to hit ground balls." He ultimately appeared in 37 of the first 56 games. Scherman relied on his fastball, which he described as a sinking, moving fastball, and his success came when he gained control of it. He mixed in a slider and very rarely a curveball or ever more rarely a changeup. As a short reliever, he relied heavily on his fastball which was his main pitch. He recalled: "I played three years for Billy Martin and if you got beat on your second best pitch he flipped out, I mean he just went bananas. You don't get beat on your second best pitch, so pretty much it was, 'Here it comes, it's me and you, let's see who's better.'" Scherman's philosophy was that location is the key to pitching: "Location is the most important thing in pitching. Everybody thinks, well, it's how hard you throw but it's not. It's where you put the ball. Location's the most important, movement's the second most important, and velocity's the third most important." In 1972, Scherman compiled a 7–3 record and 3.64 ERA with 12 saves in 57 games, including three as a starter. Some blamed Scherman's knockdowns of Jackson for causing the fight. Scherman pitched only of an inning in the ALCS and did not allow an earned run. Scherman won the "King Tiger" award from Detroit fans in both 1971 and 1972. Scherman also gained note in 1972 for his hobby as a private pilot. In 1973, Detroit's other left-handed reliever,
John Hiller, posted a 1.44 ERA, appeared in 65 games, and set a major league record with 38 saves. Hiller's dominance left little room for Sherman who went from having 32 saves in 1971 and 1972 combined to only one save in 1973. With Hiller established as Detroit's left-handed closer, Scherman was traded from the
Tigers to the
Houston Astros for
Gary Sutherland and
Jim Ray at the
Winter Meetings on December 3, 1973. Sutherland became the Tigers' starting
second baseman for the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
Houston Astros He struggled in Houston. During the 1974 season, he compiled a 2-5 record and 4.11 ERA with four saves in 54 relief appearances. He underwent testing in late September and learned that he had been playing much of the 1974 season with two ruptured discs. Scherman blamed the hard surface at the
Astrodome for aggravating his back problems. He underwent back surgery in the off-season.
Montreal Expos On June 8, 1975, the
Montreal Expos announced that they had acquired Scherman for cash and future considerations. The Expos initially used Scherman as a starter. In his first six starts, he pitched well but did not get run support from the Expos. Manager
Gene Mauch said at the time: "Fred has given us a chance to win all six games he started. He has held everyone to one, two, or three runs for six innings though we haven't given him any runs" Scherman ended up returning to the bullpen; he appeared in 34 games for the
1975 Expos, seven of them as a starter, and compiled a 4-3 record with an improved 3.54 ERA. He played his final Major League game on July 6, 1976.
Pittsburgh Pirates Scherman attempted a comeback in 1977 with the
Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the Pirates signed
Goose Gossage and
Terry Forster after signing Sherman. Scherman pitched 10 scoreless innings during the preseason, but the Pirates opted to release him in late March. When no other team claimed him, the Pirates sent him to their
Columbus Clippers farm club in the
International League. Scherman noted: "The Pirates want to use me as an insurance policy in case somebody gets hurt. For Triple A, they're paying me good. But it's not good when you think you should be in the big leagues." In 49 relief appearances for Columbus, he compiled a 6-8 record and 3.90 ERA and nine saves. ==Family and later years==