Draft and minor leagues The
Arizona Diamondbacks chose Scherzer in the first round with the 11th overall pick of the
2006 MLB draft, making him Missouri's first-ever MLB first-round draft pick.
2007 Scherzer and agent
Scott Boras had initial difficulty negotiating a contract with the Diamondbacks; as such, Scherzer did not sign the summer he was drafted. Instead, Scherzer began his
professional baseball career with the
Fort Worth Cats of the
independent American Association. He stated that "It was my decision" and "I've never second guessed it.” He appeared in only three games for the Cats, in which he pitched a total of 16 innings, earning a 1–0 record with 25 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.56. Scherzer later agreed to a four-year, $4.3 million contract with the Diamondbacks, reportedly signing with them just before midnight on the club's May 30 deadline.
2008 After a good start to the 2008 season with the Triple-A
Tucson Sidewinders, Scherzer was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on April 27, 2008.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2008–2009) 2008 On April 29, 2008, Scherzer made his MLB debut against the
Houston Astros when he came on in relief and struck out the first batter he faced,
Jack Cassel. He threw 4 perfect innings while
striking out seven. In the process he set the record for the number of consecutive batters retired (13) for a pitcher making his MLB debut as a reliever. The previous record was 12 set in 1962 by the
Los Angeles Dodgers'
Pete Richert. The seven strikeouts that he had in the appearance were one short of the MLB record for most in a debut relief appearance. The
Pittsburgh Pirates'
Barry Jones had eight on April 20, 1986. On April 30, 2008, the Diamondbacks announced he would be part of the starting rotation, due to his impressive debut. In his first appearance as a starter for the D-Backs, Scherzer allowed five runs (two earned) in four innings, while striking out five, taking the first loss of his major league career. He returned to the bullpen for much of the 2008 season. For
the season, he was 0–4 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 games (seven starts) and struck out 66 batters in 56 innings.
2009 He became a full-time starter in 2009, filling the fifth starter role in the starting rotation. On May 26, Scherzer recorded the second win of his career. He finished the
2009 season with 30 starts, a 9–11 record, 4.12 ERA, and 174 strikeouts in innings pitched.
Detroit Tigers (2010–2014) On December 9, 2009, Arizona traded Scherzer along with
Daniel Schlereth,
Phil Coke, and
Austin Jackson to the
Detroit Tigers as part of a three-team agreement which sent
Ian Kennedy and
Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks and
Curtis Granderson to the
New York Yankees. In Detroit, Scherzer grew from a hard thrower with control issues into an
ace, teaming with fellow right-hander and future Cy Young Award-winner
Justin Verlander to front the Tigers' starting rotation for five seasons. A third-place finish in 2010 left them out of the playoffs, but was followed by four consecutive
AL Central division championships. The run culminated with Detroit winning the
2012 American League (AL) pennant, only to fall to the
San Francisco Giants in the
World Series.
2010 Detroit optioned Scherzer to the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens on May 16, replacing him with
Armando Galarraga. On May 30, Scherzer was called back up and made his first start back in a game versus the
Oakland Athletics later that day. Scherzer accumulated 14 strikeouts in innings pitched. He allowed two hits, four walks, and
hit a batter on his last pitch. and tied for second in franchise history behind
Mickey Lolich, who had 16 strikeouts in one game. On July 26, Scherzer and
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher
Matt Garza dueled for a
no-hitter into the sixth inning. After hitless innings, Scherzer lost the no-hit bid,
shutout, and game after serving up a
grand slam to
Matt Joyce. Meanwhile, Garza opportunely secured the no-hitter in a 5–0 Tampa win. Scherzer struck out eight. On September 1 against the
Minnesota Twins, Scherzer pitched into the ninth inning for the first time in his career. He gave up one run on four hits and one walk while striking out nine on 107 pitches, though he received a no-decision as the Tigers lost the game in the tenth inning. Scherzer finished the
2010 season with a 12–11 record, 3.50 ERA, and 184 strikeouts.
2011 In the
2011 season, Scherzer was the third starter in the rotation, and won six straight starts early in the year, being the first Tiger since Jeremy Bonderman in
2006 to accomplish the feat. Scherzer finished the season with a 15–9 record and was third in the AL in home runs allowed (29), fourth in
wild pitches, fifth in hits by pitch (10), ninth in
winning percentage (.625), and tenth in wins.
2012 On May 20, 2012, Scherzer struck out 15
Pittsburgh Pirates in seven innings, falling one strikeout short of tying Lolich's franchise record. Scherzer surpassed the 200-strikeout mark for the first time, totaling 231 during the regular season to place second in the league to teammate Verlander with 239. He finished
the regular season with other then-personal bests in wins and winning percentage (16–7; ). He made three starts, going 1–0 with a 2.08 ERA, while striking out 26 batters over 17 innings.
2013: First Cy Young Award After a win against the
Tampa Bay Rays on June 28, 2013, Scherzer became the first Tigers pitcher to ever start a season 12–0, surpassing the 11–0 start from
George Mullin in
1909. With a win against the
Toronto Blue Jays on July 3, Scherzer became the first major league starter to begin a season 13–0 since
Roger Clemens in
1986. The streak ended with a loss to the
Texas Rangers on July 13. On July 1, Scherzer was selected by player vote to represent the American League in the
2013 All-Star Game, his first major league All-Star selection. On July 15,
Jim Leyland, who managed the AL All-Star team this season and was also the Tigers manager, announced that he had chosen Scherzer as the AL's starting pitcher. Entering the All-Star break, Scherzer had a 13–1 record, 3.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 152 strikeouts in innings pitched. He pitched a perfect 1–2–3 inning in the game, including striking out
Joey Votto for one of three outs. On August 8, Scherzer recorded his 1,000th career strikeout when he fanned
Jason Kipnis of the
Cleveland Indians. With a win over the
New York Mets on August 24, Scherzer became the third pitcher in major league history to start a season 19–1, following Clemens in
2001 and
Rube Marquard in
1912. On September 20, after a 12–5 win over the
Chicago White Sox, Scherzer became the first major league pitcher of the season to reach 20 wins, making him the first Tigers pitcher to reach 20 wins since Justin Verlander in
2011, and the 45th time in Tigers history that a pitcher reached 20 wins in a season. He finished the regular season at 21–3, with a league-leading 0.97 WHIP, 2.90 ERA, and a career-high 240 strikeouts. Scherzer's stellar season earned him the 2013 AL
Cy Young Award, receiving 28 of 30 first-place votes. He also was the winner of the
Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Pitcher, and the
Baseball Digest Pitcher of the Year—bestowed annually to one pitcher in the major leagues. Scherzer had a dominant performance in Game 1 of the
2013 ALDS versus the
Oakland Athletics, recording 11 strikeouts and giving up just one hit through the first six innings, before surrendering a two-run homer to
Yoenis Céspedes. He finished with seven innings pitched, giving up three hits, as he and the Tigers won the game, 3–2. He struck out each of
Josh Donaldson,
Brandon Moss, and
Josh Reddick twice. Scherzer was in line to make a Game 5 start in the same series, but facing elimination in Game 4, manager Jim Leyland chose to bring him in as a reliever in the seventh inning. Scherzer gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the inning, but the Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the frame. Then he loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth but wriggled out of trouble by striking out
Josh Reddick and
Stephen Vogt, then he got
Alberto Callaspo to line out to center field. The Tigers won the game, and Scherzer earned the victory to go to 2–0 in the series. Scherzer continued his brilliance into the
2013 ALCS against the eventual
World Series champion
Boston Red Sox. In Game 2, he no-hit Boston for innings before surrendering two hits and a run in the bottom of the sixth. He left the game with a 5–1 lead after seven innings, striking out 13. However a quartet of Tiger relievers blew the lead in the eighth inning on a grand slam by
David Ortiz, and Boston won it, 6–5, on a walk-off single in the ninth. Scherzer was the losing pitcher in the Tigers' 5–2 loss in Game 6, the deciding and final game of that series.
2014 On January 17, 2014, Scherzer and the Tigers agreed on a $15.525 million salary for the 2014 season, avoiding arbitration for the third straight year. On May 5, Scherzer struck out nine
Houston Astros batters in eight innings of a 2–0 victory. It was his seventh straight game from the start of the season with at least seven strikeouts, establishing a Detroit Tigers franchise record. The streak ended on May 10 against the
Minnesota Twins, when he struck out six batters in six innings. The Major League record for consecutive 7+ strikeout games to start the season is nine, accomplished by
Bob Feller in 1946. On June 12, in his 179th career start, Scherzer pitched both his first career
complete game and
shutout in a three-hit, 4–0 win versus
Chris Sale and the
Chicago White Sox. On July 6, Scherzer was named to his second AL
All-Star team by way of manager
John Farrell's selection. He pitched a scoreless fifth inning, surrendered a double to
Troy Tulowitzki, and struck out
Yasiel Puig and
Paul Goldschmidt. Scherzer earned the win for the AL. Scherzer finished the 2014 season with an 18–5 record, 3.19 ERA and 1.175 WHIP. His 18 wins tied for the AL lead along with
Corey Kluber and
Jered Weaver. Max made his only postseason appearance of 2014 in Game 1 of the
ALDS against the
Baltimore Orioles. He was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs (all earned) in innings.
Washington Nationals (2015–2021) On January 21, 2015, Scherzer agreed to a contract with the
Washington Nationals, with
Mike Rizzo as the
general manager. The contract was for seven years and $210 million ($ million today); it included a $50 million
signing bonus to be paid out over 14 years, the largest deferral in MLB history. At the time, Scherzer owned a 91–50 W–L with a 3.58 ERA in seven seasons with Arizona and Detroit. On January 22, it was reported that the contract also specified for Scherzer's salary to be $10 million in 2015, and $15 million in each of the next three seasons. It increases to $35 million a year in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the seasons in which his deferrals begin. In addition, his contract includes several award incentives, as well as a
no-trade clause.
2015: Two no-hitters Scherzer made his regular season debut for the Nationals as their
Opening Day starting pitcher versus the
New York Mets on April 6,
2015. He struck out eight over innings in a 3–1 loss. On June 14, 2015, he pitched his second career complete game, ceding one hit and one walk in a 4–0 shutout against the
Milwaukee Brewers at
Miller Park. He accrued six
perfect innings before
Carlos Gómez, leading off the seventh inning, fought off a fastball for a bloop single to right field inches past the outstretched glove of second baseman
Anthony Rendon. Scherzer's 16 strikeouts established a new personal best and a Nationals team record for one game, surpassing
Stephen Strasburg's effort of 14 versus the
Pittsburgh Pirates on June 8,
2010. Rated with a
game score of 100, Scherzer's mark was the 12th time in MLB history such a score or higher had been achieved. Six days later, Scherzer
no-hit the
Pirates 6–0 at
Nationals Park for his first career no-hitter. After retiring the first 26 batters, he came within one strike of a perfect game, only to
hit the 27th batter,
José Tábata, who appeared to lean into the pitch. Scherzer secured the no-hitter by retiring the next batter,
Josh Harrison, on a fly ball. It was the 13th time that the 27th and presumably final batter disrupted a perfect game in progress. The game score was 97, the second occasion on the season where Scherzer had achieved a game score of at least 97. It was a feat previously accomplished just twice, first by
Nolan Ryan in 1990 and then
Pedro Martínez in 2000. The 100th win of Scherzer's career occurred on June 26 in a 5–2 victory versus the
Philadelphia Phillies; he allowed both runs over eight innings. It was his third consecutive start where he did not allow any baserunners for the first five innings. In June, Scherzer's ERA was 1.79 during which he was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for the second consecutive month. Spanning his last three starts in June, he registered 24 consecutive scoreless innings, retired 52 consecutive batters without allowing a hit, struck out 33, and completed 26 of a possible 27 innings. Scherzer was selected to that year's
All-Star Game via players' vote. However, he was unavailable for the game as he had already started on the Sunday before the All-Star break. Prior to the start, his season totals included a 2.12 ERA, 143 strikeouts, and two complete-game shutouts. Over a win-less streak of seven starts beginning July 30, Scherzer allowed a 6.08 ERA, seven walks, 11 home runs, a .305/.335/.587 line against and struck out 53 in 40 innings pitched. He earned his 12th win of the season versus
Miami on September 14 with eight shutout innings in a 5–0 win. On October 3, Scherzer achieved his second career no-hitter, and second of the season, versus the Mets, striking out a new career-high 17 batters with no walks. The only base runners permitted were
Kevin Plawecki via a throwing error by
Yunel Escobar and
Daniel Murphy via a force out of Plawecki in the same inning. Several baseball analysts and pundits debated the game as one of the greatest pitching performances of all time, and perhaps the most dominant no-hitter ever pitched, based on the number of strikeouts, lack of walks issued or hit batters, and sheer mastery of the opposing batting order the third time through the lineup. At one point, Scherzer had struck out nine consecutive Mets, just one shy of the Major League record set by
Tom Seaver in
1970. It tied Nolan Ryan for most strikeouts in a no-hitter, was the first no-hitter produced with at least 17 strikeouts and no walks, and made Scherzer the sixth pitcher in MLB history to record multiple no-hitters in one season. With a game score of 104, it was the second-highest achieved on record and made Scherzer the first to achieve multiple game scores of at least 100 in the same season. Because of his three most brilliant performances that season, Scherzer became the first to assemble three-game scores of 97 or higher in one season since at least 1914. Ryan and
Walter Johnson (1918) were the only two other pitchers to carry out three-game scores of 95 or more in one season. In a season that also featured mammoth offensive accomplishments from NL
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Bryce Harper, the Nationals were eliminated from the playoff contention with a week remaining. He also led all major league pitchers in
first-strike percentage (73.3%). Despite these exceptional numbers, Scherzer was often the victim of poor hitting support compiling only a 14–12 record.
2016: Second Cy Young Award and 20-strikeout game On May 11,
2016, Scherzer struck out 20
Detroit Tiger batters, to
tie the record for strikeouts over nine innings in a single game, held by
Roger Clemens (twice),
Randy Johnson, and
Kerry Wood. Scherzer became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a regulation game in the 21st century. He accomplished the feat and earned the win in a matchup with former Nationals teammate
Jordan Zimmermann; the final score was 3–2. Scherzer joined Johnson as the only pitchers to have performed both a 20 strikeout game and a no-hitter during their careers. Nine of the strikeouts ended on three-pitch at-bats. Of 119 total pitches discharged, 96 were for strikes; Scherzer did not deliver more than 16 in any inning. It was the first time in history that in any game of 125 or fewer pitches delivered, 96 or more were strikes. It was the third occasion that Tiger manager
Brad Ausmus was on the losing side of a 20-strikeout game; the first two were as a player. It was also Scherzer's first career victory versus Detroit, positing him as the 17th hurler to earn a
win against all 30 MLB teams. On July 8, 2016, Scherzer was named to the National League squad at the
All-Star Game in
San Diego as a roster replacement for teammate Stephen Strasburg, who was recently activated from the DL. Scherzer performed in relief in the sixth inning, allowing no baserunners. His batting achievements for the season included a career-best 12 RBI, which ranked second among major league pitchers to
Adam Wainwright with 18. Scherzer was named the National League Cy Young Award winner on November 16, 2016, winning his second Cy Young Award on the strength of a 20–7 record, 2.96 ERA, MLB-leading 284 strikeouts, and an MLB-leading 0.968 WHIP. He became just the sixth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win the award in both the American and the National Leagues. He won two of the 2016
Esurance MLB/
This Year in Baseball Awards: for Best Pitcher, and his 20-strikeout game won for Best Performance.
2017: Third Cy Young Award Scherzer committed to play for
Team USA in the
2017 World Baseball Classic. However, in early January 2017, he withdrew from the tournament after suffering a stress fracture in the knuckle of his right ring finger. Due to the stress fracture, which delayed his start to spring training, Scherzer was unavailable to start Opening Day for the Nationals in 2017. Nonetheless, he avoided spending any time on the disabled list to start the season. On May 14, 2017, he pitched his first career
immaculate inning, striking out
César Hernández,
Odubel Herrera, and
Aaron Altherr on nine pitches in the fourth inning versus
Philadelphia. It was the 84th immaculate inning in the major leagues, and second in Nationals' history, following Zimmermann's versus the
Florida Marlins in
2011. In a 2–1 win versus the
Dodgers on June 6, Scherzer struck out 14. He obtained the first 10 outs of the game via strikeout despite his throwing error on a pickoff attempt, two walks allowed, and a passed ball by
Matt Wieters. On June 11, Scherzer became the third-fastest pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts (after
Nolan Ryan and
Clayton Kershaw) by striking out
Nomar Mazara of the
Texas Rangers. Scherzer also reached the 2,000 plateau in the third-fewest innings (1,784), behind
Pedro Martínez () and
Randy Johnson (). Scherzer attained no-hit innings versus the
Marlins on June 21 until
A. J. Ellis hit a comebacker that tipped off Scherzer's glove and trickled toward shortstop
Trea Turner for Miami's first hit. Scherzer had struck out 11 and allowed one walk to that point in the contest. He won the NL Pitcher of the Month Award for June, allowing 14 hits and four earned runs for a 0.99 ERA throughout innings through five starts. His record was 3–2 and he struck out 51 for an average of 12.63 per nine innings. Named to his fifth
MLB All-Star Game, Scherzer was NL manager
Joe Maddon's selection as the squad's starting pitcher, making him the oldest starter in that lineup. He became the fifth pitcher to start at least one All-Star Game for both the American and National Leagues. At the time of his selection, he consolidated a 10–5 record and an NL-leading both with a 2.10 ERA and 173 strikeouts. The game was played at
Marlins Park in
Miami; he tossed 15 pitches over one scoreless inning and struck out
Aaron Judge and
George Springer. On August 1, Scherzer hit his first career home run, a three-run blast off
Chris O'Grady of the Marlins, but left the game shortly thereafter with neck spasms. The neck issues recurred, and the club placed Scherzer on the disabled list for the first time since 2009, retroactive to August 15. He was removed from his next start on August 18 against the
San Diego Padres at
Petco Park as the neck issue came back. Scherzer returned to the rotation on August 28 earning a win against the Marlins. On September 19, Scherzer recorded 250 strikeouts for the fourth consecutive season, making him the fourth pitcher in major league history to do so, following
Ferguson Jenkins, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martínez. Scherzer rebounded from an 8–2 loss with seven runs and six walks allowed to
Atlanta in his previous start, to strike out seven and with five hits and one walk allowed over seven innings in a 4–2 win, also against Atlanta. Scherzer finished the 2017 season with a 16–6 record and a 2.51 ERA. He led the National League with 268 strikeouts, a 0.90 WHIP, and a .178
batting average against. Scherzer also became the 3rd starting pitcher in MLB history to have more than twice as many strikeouts in a season (268) as hits allowed (126) (first accomplished by
Pedro Martinez in the 2000 season with 284 strikeouts and 128 hits, followed by
Randy Johnson in 2001 with 372 strikeouts and 181 hits, and later also accomplished by both
Gerrit Cole and
Justin Verlander in 2019). Incredibly Scherzer barely missed accomplishing this ultra-rare feat in the following 2018 season, where he recorded 300 strikeouts and only 150 hits allowed. In 2017, Scherzer also led the majors in giving up the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls (26.5%). End of season awards for Scherzer included selection as a starting pitcher on
Baseball America's All-MLB Team. Scherzer also won the 2017 National League Cy Young Award—his third—making him the tenth pitcher in history to win at least three. He was the Players Choice Award winner for National League Outstanding Pitcher, the second of his career. He was also elected to the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame in late 2017, along with
Mike Trout and
David Wright. He had his number 51 jersey retired by the Scottsdale Scorpions. His AFL achievements included a 2.13 ERA in eight games in 2017 and a 3.38 ERA over four starts in 2008.
2018: 300 strikeouts Before the
2018 season,
Sports Illustrated graded Scherzer as the top pitcher, and fourth-best overall player in baseball, following Trout,
Jose Altuve, and
Kris Bryant. In his first 98 starts with the Nationals from 2015 to 2017, Scherzer accumulated the most innings, strikeouts, and pitching WAR. He began a game with at least five hitless innings 11 times, including successfully concluding two no-hitters. He made his third Opening Day start for Washington and struck out seven consecutive
Cincinnati Reds batters on the way to a 2–0 win. He set a club Opening Day record with ten batters struck out overall. While playing
Atlanta on April 9, he stole his first career base in the seventh inning, versus pitcher
Peter Moylan and catcher
Kurt Suzuki. On the mound, Scherzer gained a complete-game shutout, the fifth of his career. He struck out 10 and allowed two hits and no walks. He earned the NL Pitcher of the Month Award in April while leading the league in strikeouts (57) and wins (4), and ranking fourth in each of ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.82) and opposing batting average (.165). On May 6, Scherzer became the first pitcher in major league history to produce 15 strikeouts in one game in innings (19 outs) or fewer, doing so versus the
Philadelphia Phillies. Twelve consecutive outs occurred via strikeout, including
striking out the side in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. It was the second-longest such streak in major league history, his fifth career 15-strikeout game, and the 69th with at least 10. He made his following start versus the
Arizona Diamondbacks, where he struck out 11 batters and hit an RBI double for the go-ahead run in the fourth inning that furnished a 3–1 Nationals victory. In a May 19 start versus the
Dodgers, Scherzer struck out 13, including dispatching his 100th of the season in 63 innings. It eclipsed Kerry Wood's record for fewest innings to reach 100 strikeouts with which happened in 2001. Still the Nationals lost the game, 4–5, off a blown
save by
Sean Doolittle. With a 2–0 win over
Baltimore on May 30, Scherzer procured career win number 150, while striking out 12 over eight shutout innings. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for May—his second consecutive monthly award—after going 4–0 with a 2.21 ERA and a league-leading 63 strikeouts. Entering as a
pinch hitter in the
14th inning on June 2 versus the Braves, Scherzer singled for his first career pinch-hit and scored the go-ahead run on a triple by
Wilmer Difo in a 5–3 victory. In the June 5 contest versus the
Tampa Bay Rays, Scherzer settled his second career immaculate inning, striking out
Johnny Field,
Christian Arroyo and
Daniel Robertson in the sixth inning. He joined
Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and
Sandy Koufax as the only (at the time) MLB pitchers to have recorded multiple immaculate innings in a career. Scherzer allowed both runs as earned, five hits, and finished with 13 strikeouts as the Nationals won 4–2, improving his record to 10–1, the first in the major leagues with 10 wins. In his four next starts, Scherzer lost three times as the Nationals' offense was shut out each time. He lost another outing, 4–3, to the
Boston Red Sox on July 2 while collecting his 1,000th strikeout since joining Washington. It vested him as the 11th pitcher in major league history to reach 1,000 strikeouts with two different clubs. He was selected as the NL starting pitcher in the
All-Star Game, played at Nationals Park, for his third starting assignment. After allowing a home run to
Aaron Judge, Scherzer became the third All-Star Game starter within the previous 30 years to strike out at least four batters. He got his 200th regular season strikeout in 2018 on July 27 versus the
Marlins, retiring
Justin Bour with a swinging strikeout, to gridlock with Walter Johnson and
Roger Clemens with seven consecutive seasons of 200 or more strikeouts. The three trailed Seaver as the all-time leader with nine consecutive seasons. On August 12, Scherzer pitched 7 strong shutout innings, striking out 11 while giving up just three hits and one walk during a primetime night game at Wrigley Field. Once again however, he was awarded a no-decision. Up 3–0 in the bottom of the ninth, Nationals pitcher Ryan Madson hit two batters and gave up an infield single before issuing a "golden homer" – a 2 out, 2 strike, walk-off grand slam to Cubs rookie David Bote. After the game Scherzer spoke on the loss, saying "I mean, it's a gut punch". On September 25, Scherzer reached 300 strikeouts on the season, striking out
Austin Dean of the
Miami Marlins in a 10-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning of a 9–4 Nationals win. For the 2018 season, Scherzer was 18–7 with a 2.53 ERA. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting, behind
Jacob deGrom.
2019: World Series champion Scherzer started for the Nationals on
Opening Day 2019 against
Jacob deGrom of the
Mets at
Nationals Park. On April 26, Scherzer became the 35th pitcher in Major League history to record 2,500 career strikeouts, getting
Manuel Margot of the
San Diego Padres looking on three pitches in the seventh inning. He became the third-fastest to achieve the feat based on innings pitched (), trailing Johnson and Martínez. On June 18, Scherzer suffered a broken nose after a ball struck him in the face while bunting in batting practice. Nevertheless, he made his scheduled start the next day against the
Philadelphia Phillies. With
discoloration near his right eye, he threw 117 pitches and struck out 10 Phillies hitters over seven scoreless innings as the Nationals won 2–0. In a start on June 30, he faced his former team, the
Detroit Tigers. It was the first time he pitched against Detroit at Comerica Park since joining the Nationals, and the first since the 20-strikeout game in 2016. This time, he struck out 14 while allowing four hits over eight innings in a 2–1 win for his 90th career double-digit strikeout game. En route to a historic performance, Scherzer went 6–0 over six starts and 45 innings in June. He became the fourth pitcher since 1920 to post an ERA of 1.00 or lower while logging at least 68 strikeouts in one calendar month. It was also the first time since 1908 that any pitcher had struck out at least 68 batters while issuing five or fewer walks in one calendar month. After producing two more games with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks issued, Scherzer had authored 24 such contests, third-most in history. He was named NL Pitcher of the Month for the sixth time. Scherzer was named to the National League team at the
All-Star Game in
Cleveland, his seventh consecutive all-star selection. He spent time on the injured list starting in July due to
bursitis in his right
scapula and a strain on the right
rhomboid muscle in his upper back. Over 27 total starts and IP, Scherzer concluded 2019 with an 11–7 record, 2.92 ERA, 144 hits allowed, 1.027 WHIP, and 243 strikeouts. He led all major league pitchers in strikeouts/walks ratio, at 7.364, and
Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), at 2.45. He also led the NL in SO/9, at 12.7. He finished third in the league in strikeouts and fifth in adjusted ERA. Scherzer started the
NL Wild Card Game against the
Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched five innings and gave up home runs to
Yasmani Grandal and
Eric Thames. The Nationals came back to defeat the Brewers, 4–3. The win allowed them to advance to the
NLDS to face the
Dodgers. Scherzer was the winning pitcher in Game 4 in a 6–1 outcome, and the Nationals won the series in five games. After the NLDS, the Nationals advanced to the
National League Championship Series (NLCS) to face the
St. Louis Cardinals, where Scherzer received the starting assignment for Game 2. In Game 1, starter
Aníbal Sánchez lost a bid for a no-hitter with two outs in the eighth. In Game 2, Scherzer took his own no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing a leadoff single to
Paul Goldschmidt. The performances mirrored a feat Sánchez and Scherzer had achieved as teammates while playing in Detroit in Games 1 and 2 of the
2013 ALCS versus the
Boston Red Sox. Both pitchers started their respective games with five hitless innings. No other pair of starting pitchers had ever taken no-hitters into the sixth inning against the same team in consecutive postseason games. The Nationals advanced to the
World Series to face the American League pennant-winning
Houston Astros. This championship quest aligned Scherzer against old rotation mate
Justin Verlander, that year's AL Cy Young winner. However the pair did not face each other directly in any starts. Scherzer started Game 1 in Houston, giving up two runs over five innings and earning the win. He was scheduled to start Game 5 at Nationals Park but was scratched due to severe neck spasms, for which he received a cortisone shot. Scherzer instead started the decisive Game 7 in Houston, again giving up two runs over five innings. He got a no-decision as the Nationals came back to win the game and the Series. It was the first championship in franchise history and first for Scherzer. Another end-of-season recognition for Scherzer included selection to the first team of the inaugural
All-MLB Team as one of five starting pitchers. He finished third to deGrom and
Hyun-jin Ryu in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
2020: COVID shortened year In the
pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Scherzer posted a 5–4 record with a 3.74 ERA, his highest since 2011, and 92 strikeouts over innings in 12 starts. His 1.38 WHIP was also the highest of his career.
2021: Last year in Washington During a May 2,
2021, contest versus the
Marlins, Scherzer pitched his first complete game of the season, allowing one run–on a home run to
Isan Díaz in the ninth inning–while striking out nine and allowing no bases on balls. On May 8, Scherzer faced the
New York Yankees, striking out 14 over innings, allowing two hits, one run and one walk. It was the 100th double-digit strikeout game of his career, making him just the fifth pitcher to reach the milestone, following Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martínez. The 14 strikeouts established a record by an opposing pitcher of the then-current iteration of
Yankee Stadium, opened in
2009. On September 16, after he had been traded, Scherzer was named by his former club as their nominee for the season's
Roberto Clemente Award, recognizing character, community involvement, and philanthropy for his family's contributions to the
Washington, DC, area. Scherzer made his Dodgers debut on August 4 in
Los Angeles against the
Houston Astros, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs and striking out 10 batters, and earned the win. On September 12 at
Dodger Stadium, Scherzer struck out
Eric Hosmer in the fifth inning in a contest versus the
San Diego Padres to become the 19th pitcher to reach
3,000 strikeouts. In the second inning of the same game, Scherzer achieved his third
immaculate inning, tying
Sandy Koufax and
Chris Sale for the most immaculate innings thrown in a major-league career. Additionally, Scherzer had taken a perfect game into the eighth inning until Hosmer doubled to deep right field with one out. On September 13, Scherzer was named
NL Player of the Week. It was the sixth time in his career that he earned Player of the Week honors. In his first nine starts with the Dodgers, Scherzer allowed five earned runs in 58 innings for a 0.78 ERA. He finished the 2021 season with a 15–4 record and led all qualified pitchers with a 0.86 WHIP and a .185 batting average against. As the starting pitcher in Game 3 of the
NLDS versus the
San Francisco Giants, Scherzer completed seven innings in a 1–0 losing effort, allowing only
Evan Longoria's solo home run in the fifth inning. It was the Dodgers' first loss with Scherzer on the mound. Pitching on two days' rest, he earned his first major league
save on October 14 in Game 5 of the NLDS, to seal a 2–1 series clinching victory. He started in Game 2 of the
NLCS against the
Atlanta Braves, pitching innings and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven. He remarked after the game that he felt like his arm was dead in the game and was unable to properly get loose. He was scheduled to start again in Game 6 but was scratched from the game because he was still dealing with arm soreness. As his contract signed with the Dodgers expired, Scherzer became a free agent following the World Series. and Players Choice Award winner for NL Outstanding Pitcher. He placed third in the NL
Cy Young Award balloting receiving six first-place votes.
New York Mets (2022–2023) On December 1, 2021, Scherzer agreed to a three-year, $130 million contract with the
New York Mets. The contract had an average annual value (AAV) of $43.3 million, which was the largest AAV in MLB history, breaking the previous record held by
Gerrit Cole of the
New York Yankees who has an AAV of $36 million. This record was later broken by the
Los Angeles Dodgers' signing of
Shohei Ohtani in 2023. Because the Mets had already retired his two previous
uniform numbers 37 (his Detroit number, retired for
Casey Stengel) and 31 (his Washington number, retired for
Mike Piazza), Scherzer took on number 21. On April 8, 2022, Scherzer earned the win in his Mets debut against his former team, the
Washington Nationals. The start was Scherzer's first-ever start as a visitor at
Nationals Park and his first time facing the Nationals in nearly 12 years. On April 19, Scherzer made his home debut for the Mets, striking out 10 and allowing a hit and a run in seven innings, earning his third win of the 2022 season and his first win with the Mets at
Citi Field. Scherzer recorded his 3,155th strikeout during a
Subway Series game against the
New York Yankees on August 22. He passed
Pedro Martínez for 13th place on the all-time strikeout list. Scherzer earned the 200th win of his career on September 19, after pitching six perfect innings at
American Family Field in his return from the injured list. In the same game, the Mets clinched their first playoff appearance since
2016. He joined
Justin Verlander (a former teammate during his years in Detroit) and
Zack Greinke as the only active pitchers with 200 wins. Scherzer made 23 starts for the Mets in 2022, posting an 11–5 record, a 2.29 ERA, and 173 strikeouts across 1451⁄3 innings pitched. He made his only postseason start for the Mets in Game 1 of the
NL Wild Card Series against the
San Diego Padres in what turned out to be one of the worst starts of his career. He surrendered seven runs, including four home runs, in 4 innings pitched in the 7–1 loss. Scherzer did not pitch again as the Mets lost the series 2–1. On December 6, 2022, he was named to the
All-MLB Second Team. In 19 starts for the Mets in 2023, Scherzer posted a 9–4 record, a 4.01 ERA, and 121 strikeouts across 1072⁄3 innings pitched.
Texas Rangers (2023–2024) On July 29, 2023, the Mets traded Scherzer to the
Texas Rangers along with $35.5 million in cash considerations for shortstop prospect
Luisangel Acuña. As part of the deal, Scherzer opted into his 2024 player option worth more than $43 million. In his debut with the Rangers, Scherzer pitched six innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, and recorded two walks and nine strikeouts. On September 13, Scherzer was shut down for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a
teres major strain. In 8 starts for the Rangers, he posted a 4–2 record and 3.20 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 45.0 innings of work. Scherzer was reactivated during the
postseason. He started three postseason games: Games 3 and 7 of the
2023 ALCS against the
Houston Astros, and Game 3 of the
2023 World Series against the
Arizona Diamondbacks. While he was eventually shut down again following back pain, the Rangers would go on to win their first World Series title in franchise history. After the 2023 season, Scherzer had surgery on a
herniated disc and then worked to recover from thumb soreness and nerve issues. He made his 2024 season debut on June 23, and threw five scoreless innings against the
Kansas City Royals.
Toronto Blue Jays (2025–present) On February 4, 2025, Scherzer signed a one-year, $15.5 million contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays. He left his March 29 Blue Jays debut after three innings and was soon placed on the injured list with right thumb inflammation. On June 13, Scherzer made a rehab start for the Blue Jays'
Triple-A affiliate, the
Buffalo Bisons. he returned to the rotation on June 25. He earned his first win as a Blue Jay on July 11 against the Athletics. In 17 starts for the Blue Jays, he posted a 5–5 record and 5.19 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 85.0 innings of work. On October 16, he started Game 4 of the
2025 American League Championship Series against the
Seattle Mariners, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to start a postseason game for six different teams. He pitched 5 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five as the Blue Jays won 8–2. Scherzer was credited with the win, his first postseason win since the
2019 World Series, making him the fourth pitcher aged 41 or older to record a win in the playoffs. On October 27, he started Game 3 of the
2025 World Series, becoming the first pitcher to pitch for four teams in the World Series. He started Game 7 on November 1 to become the oldest pitcher to start in a winner-take-all World Series game. On March 2, 2026, Scherzer signed a one-year, $3 million contract to stay with the Blue Jays. ==Pitching and preparation style==