Scherzer: Game 5 is the 'biggest start of my life'

Thanks to the eighth-inning heroics of veteran second baseman Chase Utley in Game 4 of the division series, the Los Angeles Dodgers forced one last deciding game Thursday in Washington against the Nationals on their home turf.

Not only will the Dodgers have a raucous crowd to deal with, but they'll also be squaring off against 20-game winner Max Scherzer, who struggled against them in Game 1, allowing four earned runs over six innings.

Scherzer understands the position he's been put in, and is ready to pitch the biggest game of his life.

"Yep, this is probably the biggest start of my career," he told Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. "Biggest start of my life. I’ve said that a handful of times throughout my career. How you handle that, going out there, and using the emotion of that scenario, that everything’s on the line ... I’m not gonna shy away from it. This is the biggest start of my career."

That's quite a statement from the 32-year-old ace, who has made 11 postseason start during his career, including a World Series nod for the Detroit Tigers in 2012, but he's never had to deal with the pressure of starting a season-deciding postseason contest like Thursday against a Dodgers team also fighting to keep their season alive.

"You’re going to get their absolute best, their best effort from all season," Scherzer said. "Just like we’re going to give our best effort that we’ve given all season. Man, what can you ask for? This is great."