Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer lasted just three innings in his first regular season start before an injury once again took him out of the game.
Scherzer departed Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto after just 45 pitches. The Blue Jays said Scherzer was experiencing right lat soreness.
The former Cy Young winner looked despondent in the Toronto dugout after being pulled.
Max Scherzer's debut is done after 45 pitches and three innings pitched. pic.twitter.com/r45Wdd4kQI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 29, 2025
After the game, Scherzer made an alarming admission about the injury. He told reporters that he felt the lat issue was related to the thumb problem he has been dealing with during spring training, and that the rest of his body has been overcompensating as he tries to keep the thumb situation from getting worse. He added that he felt the issue in the bullpen prior to the game, and while he wanted to fight through it, he felt that something far worse might happen if he kept pitching beyond the third inning.
“After that third inning, I could just kind of tell we were in imminent danger,” Scherzer said. “If you pitch through this and you keep pitching as the arm fatigues, this is going to go.”
"After that third inning, I could just kind of tell we were in imminent danger."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 29, 2025
Max Scherzer on his right-lat injury. pic.twitter.com/SIO8SMI3KD
It is too soon to tell how much time Scherzer might miss, but it seems likely that he will be shelved for at least a bit as he tries to get his body right.
For a player who has dealt with so many injuries recently, this is a very bad sign for multiple issues to be flaring up this early in the season. The fact that he is talking about the injury in such stark terms is not good either.
Scherzer allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out one in Saturday’s outing. The Orioles went on to win 9-5.
