Max Scherzer

Maxwell Martin Scherzer, born in St. Louis on July 27, 1984, enters the baseball record books as one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation. Known by fans and teammates alike as "Mad Max," this right-handed starter currently throws for the Toronto Blue Jays after a career that has taken him across the entire Major League landscape. His journey began when the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the eleventh overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft, leading to his professional debut in 2008. He quickly established himself as a force, trading to the Detroit Tigers in late 2009 where he anchored their rotation for five years. Scherzer's time in Detroit yielded immediate results, including two All-Star selections and the 2013 American League Cy Young Award. He helped lead the Tigers to four straight division titles from 2011 through 2014 before signing with the Washington Nationals in 2015. That move marked a historic peak in his career; he became the fifth pitcher ever to throw multiple no-hitters in a single season. On May 11, 2016, he tied the major league record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game with 20 against the Tigers while simultaneously becoming the youngest pitcher to defeat all 30 MLB franchises. This performance fueled back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards in 2016 and 2017. Championship success followed naturally as Scherzer led the Nationals to their first World Series title in 2019, earning a win in Game 1 and starting Game 7. His career trajectory continued upward with stints in Los Angeles and New York, culminating in a second ring with the Texas Rangers in 2023. The 2023 season proved particularly legendary, making him only the fourth pitcher in history to secure multiple World Series titles, multiple Cy Young Awards, multiple no-hitters, and multiple All-Star selections. He joined the exclusive 3,000-strikeout club in September 2021 and reached 3,500 strikeouts in June 2026. With over 2,452 strikeouts and 161 wins recorded during the 2010s alone, Scherzer remains a top-tier competitor at age 42.[edit]