After early struggles, Max Scherzer showed signs of his Cy Young form as he made his Texas Rangers debut in a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.
The 37-year-old, three-time Cy Young Award winner, acquired last weekend from the New York Mets, allowed three runs in the first inning. The right-hander then settled in, striking out nine batters over six innings and retiring 12 of the last 13 he faced to earn his 10th win of the season and first in a Rangers’ uniform.
“He couldn’t have had worse luck there early,” manager Bruce Bochy told the media after the game. “Every ball, they hit found holes. It just shows you how tough he is and what a competitor he is. [He] Logged a lot of pitches that first inning but regrouped, reset, went out there and gave us six solid innings, and got the win. It was fun to watch him compete.”
Scherzer allowed the first two hitters to reach base, and Chicago quickly capitalized with the bases loaded. The game’s first run came on a Yasmani Grandal walk, and Gavin Sheets drove in two more with a single two batters later.
”That’s when you find out who you are as a pitcher,” Scherzer told the media postgame. “Sometimes, these are almost my favorite starts — when you’re getting beat around in the early parts of the game, but you settle in, you catch a rhythm, and you’re able to pitch deep into the ballgame.”
Once Scherzer settled in, he was dominant, and it allowed the Rangers to mount a comeback, tying the game with a Mitch Garver home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth and taking the lead as Marcus Semien hit one later in the inning.
“I was catching a rhythm there,” Scherzer remarked postgame. “I was starting to execute with all my pitches and was able to keep their offense at bay. I never let them get past first base late there in the ballgame. I was able to execute with all my pitches, and when I can do that, catch a rhythm with the catcher, and understand how we want to sequence guys, that’s baseball. That’s what feels good, and it feels good to come out here and get a win.”
With the Rangers in front, Scherzer was able to shut the door and left the game with the lead.
“That’s what I’m most happy about: I finished strong,” he said. “I was able to get out of damage in the first inning, didn’t give up any more runs after that, was able to get into a rhythm with Garver back there, and we were able to sequence. We were able to pitch, and we were able to execute the game plan the way we wanted to
Scherzer was the first of the two starters acquired by the Rangers before the trade deadline to make his debut. Jordan Montgomery will follow suit on Friday as the Rangers host the Miami Marlins at 7:05 p.m. CT.
