Scherzer pulls himself from start after 1 inning due to neck spasms
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer pulled himself from his start Tuesday against the Miami Marlins after just one inning of work.
The Nationals announced Scherzer made the decision as a precaution due to neck spasms. A Nationals spokesperson told Zuckerman that Scherzer "slept on (his neck) funny."
Scherzer threw one warmup pitch before the bottom of the second, then motioned to manager Dusty Baker and told him, "I can't go," according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
His lone warmup pitch was wild, per Zuckerman.
Scherzer started off Tuesday's start in his usual dominant form, as he needed just 10 pitches to dispatch of the Marlins in the bottom of the first inning. He then helped his own cause at the plate by belting his first career home run - a long three-run shot - off Chris O'Grady to put the Nationals up 6-0.
Max Scherzer hammers a three-run home run into the left-field seats for his first Major League home run in the top of the 2nd inning!!! pic.twitter.com/J7Obcnf70W
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) August 1, 2017
Cameras caught Scherzer grimacing in the dugout after he hit the dinger.
Max Scherzer grimacing in the dugout after his home run before he took himself out of the game. #Nats pic.twitter.com/CROihtCDkf
— Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) August 1, 2017
He was replaced on the mound by Matt Grace.
Losing Scherzer - arguably the frontrunner for this year's NL Cy Young Award - for any length of time is a blow to the Nationals under any circumstances, but it has the potential to be even worse given their current pitching situation.
Fellow All-Star right-hander Stephen Strasburg is currently on the disabled list with an elbow impingement, leaving them scrambling for a replacement. Strasburg had been slated to start Wednesday against Miami, and the Nationals have yet to name his replacement.