What a strange season for the Washington Nationals and their fans. Despite a disappointing season in which a World Series favorite fell woefully short of expectations, the Nats did boast the likely NL MVP in Bryce Harper and got two no-hitters from Max Scherzer.
Scherzer became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to throw two no-hitters in a season, striking out 17 batters in a 2-0 victory over the Mets in his final start of the year. Roy Halladay was the last pitcher to achieve the feat in 2010, pitching a perfect game during the regular season and a no-hitter during the postseason.
If we’re only talking about regular season starts, Scherzer is actually the fifth pitcher to toss two no-hitters in the same season, the first since Nolan Ryan did it in 1975. Johnny Vander Meer, Virgil Trucks and Allie Richards are the other three who make up this historic pitching quartet.
“These things are special,” Scherzer told reporters, including ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, after the game. “To do it twice in one season, my gosh, it doesn’t seem possible.
“To throw a no-hitter sometimes it takes a little luck. I was able to execute all four of my pitches whether I was behind in the count or ahead in the count.”
Debbie Downers might try and diminish Scherzer’s achievement by pointing out that the Mets started a lineup full of reserves in what was the second game of a doubleheader with the Nationals. Don’t be that guy. That was still a major league lineup he faced, and getting through nine innings without allowing a hit is a singular achievement. Except in Scherzer’s case, I suppose it’s plural, since he’s now thrown two no-hitters. Besides, the Nationals also fielded a lineup of bench players (without many of their best defenders), so Scherzer essentially carried them to a victory.
Scherzer’s first no-hitter of the season was on June 20 versus the Pirates. In that game, he notched 10 strikeouts and threw 106 pitches. The no-hitter occurred during a three-start span in which Scherzer allowed six total hits over 26 innings. At the time, he looked like the best pitcher in the National League, if not all of MLB, worth every penny of the $210 million free agent contract he signed with the Nats.
However, Scherzer faltered during the second half of the season, one of many many reasons the Nationals failed to make the playoffs and fulfill those World Series expectations. Prior to Saturday’s gem, the right-hander compiled a 3-5 record and 4.11 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break, allowing 87 hits in 87.1 innings (despite 109 strikeouts).
With not much reason to follow the Nats at this point and college football dominating the sports headlines aside from the MLB teams still fighting for playoff spots and positioning, was this one of the least noticed no-hitters as it was happening? (Admittedly, that could be a personal view. But unless you were a Nationals diehard, Mets fan, or Max Scherzer devotee, were you tuned in for this one?)
Interestingly, this is the second year in a row a Nats pitcher threw a no-hitter in the final days of the regular season, with Jordan Zimmermann doing so in last season’s finale. What a strange, bittersweet note for the Nationals to cap off a terribly disappointing year.