Max Scherzer was a late scratch for his scheduled Game 5 start on Sunday with stiffness in his neck that had him unable to even dress himself, much less throw a baseball.
Two days later, Scherzer was in the bullpen at Minute Maid Park, warming up in the event that Nats manager Davey Martinez would need him for an out.
How in the world?
The story behind the scenes involves a cortisone shot and a chiropractor who might get votes for World Series MVP if the Nationals win Game 7.
“The cortisone shot worked,” Scherzer said. “That relieved the pressure on the nerve, and then keep applying heat. Our chiropractor, he does amazing work, he was able to go in there and make adjustment. We did two treatments of it and really freed up the neck, the C5-C6 area, along with the trap, spasm, really felt like it subsided. And even when I was warming up tonight, I felt really good. I’m good to go.”
Martinez had said before Game 6 that there was no way Scherzer would be used in relief, so his presence in the bullpen late in the game was, yes, a surprise.
“We got him up knowing that if the game is tied or we were up a run, we might have to use him,” Martinez said. “He wanted to go down there and just throw and get loose. We scored some more runs, and I immediately shut him down. I felt very comfortable with Doo, Huddie, and Stras right there.”
Strasburg pitched into the ninth after giving up two runs in the first to get the win.
Now the Nats’ season is in the hands of Mad Max, who gutted out the win in Game 1 in Houston, giving up two runs on five hits in five innings, needing 112 pitches to get those 15 outs.
How much will he have in the tank after throwing in the ‘pen – not to mention the neck stiffness that had the Nats thinking through their options about his roster spot?
“It’s Game 7. Let’s go,” Scherzer said.
Story by Chris Graham
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