Dodgers' Max Scherzer has no-hit stuff and, in 2021, a no-hit bat. He's not alone
By Pedro Moura
FOX Sports MLB Writer
On Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, Max Scherzer recorded his 3,000th strikeout and nearly pitched a perfect game.
He did not reach the statistical milestone, however, that would protect him from his teammates’ teasing. He did not record a hit.
In 2021, the 37-year-old Scherzer has been better than ever as a pitcher and worse than ever as a hitter — worse than anyone ever, in fact. He has broken Wei-Yin Chen’s record for the most plate appearances in a season without reaching base. Chen had 49 in 2016, his first season facing major-league pitching.
Scherzer’s three chances Sunday were his 54th, 55th and 56th of 2021. He might have only a few more chances to reach base before they cease forever, given that the designated hitter is likely to come to the National League for good in 2022.
With his opportunities waning, Scherzer is feeling the effects of the drought. When Clayton Kershaw recorded a hit in his first chance back after more than two months on the injured list, Trea Turner immediately called it to the attention of Scherzer, who made clear he was displeased to be targeted once more. While most Dodgers don’t know him as well as Turner, his longtime Washington Nationals teammate, Scherzer said they have been similarly sharp with their barbs.
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Scherzer is one of five National League pitchers at risk of ending his final season of hitting with no hits in at least 30 tries. Milwaukee’s Brett Anderson, San Francisco’s Alex Wood, Philadelphia’s Zach Eflin and Washington’s Erick Fedde are the others. None of them has a chance to catch Scherzer’s PA total in the season’s final weeks.
San Diego’s Chris Paddack would be in that group, too, if not for a generous scoring decision during his Aug. 30 start in Arizona. He was credited with a hit on a sacrifice bunt because Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker’s throwing hand collided with catcher Daulton Varsho.
Before he went on the injured list Monday with an inflamed right elbow, Paddack intended to reverse his fortunes. He was finally willing to alter the swing-away strategy that got him here.
"I would like to hit a homer in the big leagues before they shut it down," Paddack said. "But I think that's why I'm, like, 0-for-39 — because I’ve been trying to hit homers. I don’t even have an extra-base hit in the big leagues, man. I’ll settle for second base."
Paddack has taken his struggles in stride, laughing when an uncle offers him $100 for a hit, grinning when a reporter brings up the bunt. He understands now that hitting in the big leagues is harder than he ever suspected.
"A couple years back, I was excited to hit, to hit a home run, to have a chance to get another award — a Silver Slugger, possibly," he said. "And now, this year, I have one hit — and it was a bunt. It goes to show how hard it actually is to hit.
"I think it’s gonna be good for the game to just have a DH in the National League."
Part of what makes Scherzer’s struggles so compelling is that he used to excel, relatively, at hitting. When the Dodgers met the Nationals in the 2016 National League Division Series, L.A. specifically game-planned for pitching to Scherzer, who had 12 RBIs that season and hit a combined .203 from 2015 to 2018.
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He said his decline at the plate stems from his inability to practice earlier this year.
"I’ve dealt with just enough little ailments that have allowed me to maintain what I need in order to pitch but ailed me enough to where maybe I shouldn’t hit," he said of skipping batting practice. "I just lost rhythm by not being able to get the proper work in between starts. Once you lose your rhythm, you’re lost."
Since he arrived in Los Angeles at the trade deadline, he has been healthy enough to take BP. But the hits haven’t come. And that’s the other interesting part about how poor he has been: how seriously he takes it. His grunts in pregame batting practice are not dissimilar to, say, his grunts when delivering a fastball.
"I've always taken pride in what I do at the plate," Scherzer said. "I’ve been a competitive-hitting pitcher because I’ve been able to work at it. I get my butt in the cage, and I do the work."
In recent seasons, many of the sport’s best pitchers have also been some of its better hitters, namely Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner and, before 2021, Scherzer.
This season, Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried has been the best-hitting pitcher. In fact, he's above-average compared to all major leaguers. In 56 plate appearances, he’s hitting .326 with a .367 on-base percentage and a .391 slugging percentage. His strikeout and walk rates are not far from the league norms.
In 2019, he was not quite this good but still better than the majority of his pitching peers. He was a skilled high-school hitter in the Los Angeles area not too long ago, but he did not expect to be this good at the major-league level.
"Hitting in the big leagues is one of the hardest things to do," he said. "I’ve gotten lucky that I’ve had some really good at-bats, gotten some hits. Honestly, though, my only approach hitting-wise is just to do something to help us out."
In his most notable feat, Fried hit a pinch-hit walk-off single on the Fourth of July. He said it's a moment he will never forget.
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In the event the DH is brought to the NL for good, it’s conceivable Fried or another competent pitcher could still get the occasional chance to hit, if benches are emptied and an injury occurs in extra innings.
If the DH is indeed here for good after next month, many pitchers won’t lament their lost at-bats. There’s fun in aiming for the fences, but they understand the value to the players’ union of having another regular position player. They understand fans want to be entertained. And they understand how hard it is to hit.
"I wouldn’t mind continuing to hit," Paddack said. "I also wouldn't mind just focusing on pitching."
Pedro Moura is the national baseball writer for FOX Sports. He most recently covered the Dodgers for three seasons for The Athletic. Previously, he spent five years covering the Angels and Dodgers for the Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. More previously, he covered his alma mater, USC, for ESPNLosAngeles.com. The son of Brazilian immigrants, he grew up in the Southern California suburbs. Follow him on Twitter @pedromoura.