Scherzer commits to pitch for USA at WBC

The United States have landed a major commitment to their rotation ahead of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer confirmed that he will be pitching for his country when the tournament opens in March.

"I've been asked to participate, and I would love to do it," Scherzer told Jon Morosi of MLB Network on Monday.

Scherzer is coming off another strong year in which he was an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season. He went 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 228 1/3 innings, while striking out a career-high 284 batters.

While the opportunity to pitch for his country is part of the intrigue for Scherzer, he said he's also looking forward to playing again for his former skipper Jim Leyland.

"He loves the game more than anybody. That's why I want to play for Team USA," Scherzer said. "I know everything he's about. That's why he's always been one of my favorite managers. It's the relationships he develops with you, and it'd be awesome to watch him interact with everybody there."