Max Scherzer wasn't perfect, but he was unhittable. And for the second straight start, he was historically dominant.
Scherzer came inches from throwing the 24th perfect game in MLB history Saturday after retiring the first 26 Pittsburgh Pirates he faced through 8 2/3 spotless innings.
But with two outs in the ninth, Scherzer beaned Pirates pinch hitter Jose Tabata, resulting in the Pirates' first baserunner of the day and a failed bid at history.
No hit, no problem.
The Washington Nationals ace recovered by getting the next batter, Josh Harrison, to fly out to left fielder Michael Taylor on a 96-mph fastball, securing his first career no-hitter and the sixth in franchise history. He struck out 10 batters, walked none, and threw 82 of his 106 pitches for strikes.
Related: Pirates' Tabata on HBP that ended perfect game: 'I did my job'
The historic outing capped an almost unprecedented stretch of pitching.
Scherzer also flirted with a perfect game in his previous start, retiring 18 straight Milwaukee Brewers to begin the game before finishing with a one-hitter and team-record 16 strikeouts. He's retired 54 of his last 57 batters and is the fifth pitcher ever to allow one hit or fewer in back-to-back complete games.
"My last two starts, this is some of the best baseball I've thrown," Scherzer told reporters after the 6-0 win. "Best pitching I've done. I just feel like I'm executing with all my pitches. Just keep getting better. It just shows you hard work pays off."
| Date | IP | H | R | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Jun 14 | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
Scherzer's the 13th pitcher to lose his perfect game with two outs in the ninth, and only the second to lose it by hitting a batter after 8 2/3 innings. He joins Milt Pappas (1972) and George Wiltse (1908) as the only pitchers to lose their perfect game after 26 outs and still throw a no-hitter.
"Every time the guy grabs the ball, he’s on the verge of something," Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond said. "It feels like there's gonna be something special."
Related: Almost Perfect: 3 flawless bids lost on the 27th batter
Staked to a 6-0 lead and using his full arsenal of pitches to dominant results, Scherzer entered the ninth poised to complete the second perfect start in franchise history.
He had ended the previous two frames by getting Francisco Liriano and Andrew McCutchen to swing through third strikes and needed just 92 pitches to record 24 outs. Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa preserved the flawless outing in the eighth by fielding a slow grounder from Pedro Alvarez while playing the shift in shallow right field.
The hard-throwing pitcher began the ninth by retiring Gregory Polanco on an infield pop out and Jordy Mercer on a line drive to center, before Tabata appeared to lean into Scherzer's 2-2 offering.
"I don't blame him for doing it," Scherzer said. "I probably would have done the same thing."
Scherzer, who signed a blockbuster seven-year, $215-million contract as a free agent this winter, has allowed just one hit with 26 strikeouts and one walk over his last 18 innings. The outing lowered Scherzer's league-leading ERA to 1.76 and WHIP to 0.80.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)
