Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer throws 56 pitches in Buffalo but says ‘I'm still not out of the woods'
BUFFALO, N.Y.—At the height of his major-league career, when Max Scherzer was accumulating accolades, championships and three Cy Young Awards, it seemed unfathomable for him to need a minor-league rehab stint.
But on Friday, Scherzer, now with the Blue Jays organization and coming back from thumb inflammation, took the mound for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, marking the third year in four seasons that the 40-year old has needed work in the minors.
After a disappointing start to his Jays career — a three-inning outing against Baltimore on March 29 — Scherzer was very effective, throwing 39 of his 56 pitches for strikes in 4 1/3 innings against the Columbus Clippers. He allowed four hits while striking out four. More importantly, he averaged about 92 miles per hour with his fastball, a pitch he used 23 times.
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'I'm not celebrating anything until I'm actually in big-league games and recovering from big-league games,' Scherzer said after his outing. 'This thumb issue is serious and I'm still not out of the woods.'
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He allowed a one-out double to Brayan Rocchio, a player with more than 200 games of major-league experience, in the first inning and a leadoff homer to C.J. Kayfus in the second. The most pitches he needed in any inning was a 22-pitch fourth, when he allowed two hits and a run.
He fanned Kyle Datres on three pitches in the fifth, the final one an 84-m.p.h. changeup. He then gave way to reliever Kevin Gowdy and left to an enthusiastic ovation, saluting the fans before reaching the dugout.
When he left, Scherzer had thrown six different types of pitches, including 15 sliders and eight changeups, helping the Bisons remain deadlocked 2-2. Buffalo scored three runs in the ninth inning to earn a 6-5 walk-off win.
'I got my work in,' Scherzer said. 'Tomorrow is a very important day to make sure my body is responding correctly. I feel like I did the right amount. We were looking for 60-65 pitches, and came up a little bit short, but feel like I'm in a position to be able to recover well.'
He was quick to dismiss any comparisons to his March start.
'That was a lat issue,' he said. 'My thumb was barking and my lat was about to blow. I got out of there before something bad happened. My thumb's in a better spot, but I'm not going to celebrate this until I'm fully built up.'
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Scherzer also clarified that his pinpoint precision wasn't exactly back to normal yet.
'Even though I was throwing strikes, I wasn't getting to the exact spots I was trying to get to,' he said. 'Until you're actually in a real game and put the ball where you want to, it takes time and feel and a little rhythm. It'll come as I get more games under my belt.'
Buffalo plays next week in Worcester against the Boston affiliate, but it's too soon to determine when exactly Scherzer will return to the mound
He did admit he needs more action with the Bisons, declaring: 'I definitely need another one. We'll make that determination later. It'll be a collective decision, not just mine.
'I'm chomping at the bit. I'm dying here (on the injured list). I want to be out there competing, helping the ball club win. I've got to do my work here, do this process right and build up right.'
For the Bisons, who drew a Scherzer-enhanced 11,614, it was the seventh time in the franchise's history that a past or future Cy Young Award winner has pitched for the club, following Canadian standout Fergie Jenkins, Dwight Gooden, Bartolo Colon, Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia, and R.A. Dickey. Only Gooden and Sabathia worked on rehab assignments.
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