Max Scherzer in so much pain from back injury his wife had to dress him

Just how bad of shape was Max Scherzer in Sunday to keep himself from pitching in Game 5 of the World Series? It was so bad that he says he couldn’t dress himself.

Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start due to his neck/back injury, leaving Joe Ross to pitch the critical game for the Washington Nationals. Scherzer spoke with the media on Sunday to talk about his status.

“I’m as disappointed as I possibly can be to not be able to pitch tonight. It’s Game 5 of the World Series,” Scherzer said. “This (injury) is literally impossible to do anything with.

“I woke up this morning completely locked up. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even dress myself; I had to have my wife help me. So that’s where I was at,” Scherzer said.

Scherzer also said he received a cortisone shot but it would take 48 hours to kick in, so he’s hopeful he would be available for a Game 7.

Scherzer said the doctors think, with a cortisone shot and time, he could be ready for Game 7.

“I’m just hoping that the doctors are right.”

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) October 27, 2019

Scherzer pitched the day after suffering a broken nose earlier this season, so his toughness should not be questioned. He must have been in terrible shape Sunday morning to declare himself unable to pitch.

Max Scherzer said the pain was so severe today that he could not dress himself and needed his wife to help him. #Nationals #STAYINTHEFIGHT #WorldSeries @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/0t53WCGB3a

— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) October 27, 2019