The group sat down to eat before realizing Scherzer had beaten them. Scherzer has never been hefty, but not from a lack of appetite. Max Scherzer struck out 232 batters in 206 1/3 innings while not eating burritos in his three years at Missouri. The story is not a new one, but it is instructive. Nathan Culp believes it was sophomore year in college - probably in 2005 - when he, Scherzer and a couple buddies went to Chipotle. But when there is competition - no matter how tiny, no matter how silly - he transforms into the laser-eyed ace who is ready to punch you out, one way or the other. Louis and stayed local in choosing the University of Missouri. He can be a kind, loving man who is loyal to his pals, a friend who has not changed much over the years since he grew up just outside St. He remembers, he works, and the new face of the Mets constructs a distinct mythology with a desire as intense as his glare. The through line of each anecdote is Scherzer’s unmistakable and unbreakable belief in himself.Ī loss is just one more reason to beat you the next time. The Scherzer legends are as high-profile as the World Series and as submerged as being literally underwater, when only he and a friend understood the stakes. “When he’s in uniform, he’s obviously a different animal.” When he’s away from competition, “He’s kind of got the Clark Kent vibe going,” said Tony Vitello, now the Tennessee head baseball coach, then a Missouri assistant coach who recruited Scherzer out of high school. But he will ride his fury to revenge and come back stronger. But his true superpower, according to many who know him well, is a feeling of invincibility, rather than actual invincibility. He is Mad Max to the world and Superman in his mind. Max Scherzer wears his heart on his sleeve and his trademark intensity all over his face. Hell, he will pull off pranks better than you do. “If you challenge him and say you can do something better than him,” said Bryan Holaday, who has both caught and lived with Scherzer, “he can’t accept it.” His confidence and intensity are as much a part of him as his different colored eyes and $130 million right arm. Losing, which happens, is different from accepting defeat, which does not happen to Scherzer. At some point, no matter his work ethic and absolute devotion, time will catch up to the new Mets ace. He is “awful” at pingpong, reports a cocky former teammate. He has watched 287 home runs rocket off opposing bats. Here is a good time to extract ourselves from Max Scherzer’s brain and accept the reality that sometimes - often, even, for a player in a sport that is defined by failure, who plays against world-class athletes who want to succeed badly, too - the 37-year-old right-hander does lose. Maybe you will survive long enough in the at-bat to get a taste of his curveball or cutter, and maybe you foul off a couple pitches. If you are an opposing hitter, you will see a fastball that refuses to slow, a slider that no one can touch and perhaps a changeup that looks like his fastball until it dips out of the zone. You can only be the student because he is the teacher. If you are a Mets player, you will watch him work, you will watch him study - and your preparation will look minor league by comparison. He will beat you with guile, and he will beat you with power. If you are a baseball player, he is probably older and definitely more experienced than you. So will his body, which never seems to stop running. His arm, as he follows a meticulous schedule that only has added details over the years, will be in better shape than yours. ![]() Those who have joined him on his furious road to the top of baseball share tales of Scherzer winning at all costs and explain just how deep his competitive streak runs. The Mets’ new mound-stalking, mean-mugging megabucks ace is famous for an intensity that gave rise to the nickname Mad Max.
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