Nationals megadeal starter Max Scherzer got hurt batting in his last game.
According to the Sporting News, the right-hander said he
was unable to throw Sunday morning because of the jammed thumb, which
he suffered while batting in last Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Cardinals.
“I’m
not ready to rule it out completely, but I also have to be honest with
myself,” Scherzer said. “Anytime you deal with an injury to your
pitching hand, you literally have to be 100 percent to go back out
there.”
Scherzer described the injury as a sprained ligament and said his thumb is still sore. The 30-year-old pitcher says he wants to play it safe.
“It’s
my pitching hand,” Scherzer said. “Any type of discomfort’s going to
alter the way I throw the ball. If I alter the way I throw the ball, I
can really run the risk of major injury to my arm. So I really respect
that. I really respect that I have to be at 100 percent. That’ll be my
test: If I can throw all my pitches on flat ground at 100 percent.”
Scherzer
said he dealt with a similar nagging injury while at the University of
Missouri, returned too soon and almost suffered a major injury as a
result.
“I’ve dealt with an injury before in college where I had a
cut on my middle finger, and I went back out there and pitched in
pain,” he said. “And two weeks later, I had biceps tendinitis and really
almost kind of messed up my shoulder. I really respect the fact that
you really have to be 100 percent to go back out there. And in this
case, that’s how I’m going to treat it.”
This comes on the heels (pun unintended) that Adam Wainwright pooped his Achilles running out a pop fly ball. He is probably lost for the season.
Now, there have been cries that the National League immediately adopt the Designated Hitter rule to save multi-million dollar pitcher investments from getting hurt at the plate. But no where in the story says Scherzer advocated a change to the AL system. Probably a majority of starters in the NL enjoy picking up the lumber during their games. A good hitting pitcher, like Travis Wood, is a real asset on a team with a short bench.
The DH does take out many strategy options that have been with the game since its inception. The DH rule does propagate the Earl Weaver idea of 3-run HRs is the way to win ball games instead of manufacturing runs with walks, steals, and hit-and-run plays.
Throughout the season, pitchers will get hurt. On and off the field of play.
