Even among the typically intense cohort of major league pitchers, Max Scherzer stands out as the most intensely competitive. Off the field, he’s a kind soul who devotes his time to animal charities. On the field, he’s terrifying. This is a guy who once took the mound with a broken nose and his face covered in bruises after a batting practice accident.
Scherzer is so competitive that he got ticked off on Monday when he got a strikeout without having to work for it.
In the first inning of his start against the Angels, Scherzer got ahead in the count on Brandon Drury, 1–2. But when Drury wasn’t ready in the box as the pitch clock hit eight seconds, he was charged with an automatic strike, and thus an inning-ending strikeout.
