Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer said that he is not ready to retire following his latest injury setback.
The future Hall of Famer is 41 years old now and has struggled so far this season with the Blue Jays, going 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA and a -0.8 bWAR. To make matters worse, he is currently on the injured list with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. Between his poor performance when healthy and this latest injury setback putting him on the IL, there have been plenty of calls from fans and pundits for “Mad Max” to hang up his cleats and retire from the game that he loves so much.
Not so fast, however.
Max Scherzer Not Ready to Retire
Speaking to the Toronto Star in a recent interview, Scherzer admitted that although this season has been frustrating for him, he is not ready to retire from baseball.
“I wouldn’t necessarily look at it like that. I’m going to play. I’m going to do whatever it takes to play. I’ve signed up for this. I love this. This is part of it. You have to go through the pain, all that crap that you have to deal with, pushing through that. What I have to go through, yeah, it stinks. I hate sitting on the IL,” Scherzer said.
Overall, Scherzer said that his body feels good, and he is hoping to get back on the mound once his forearm starts to feel better. He recently had cortisone shots in both his arm and thumb, and the team is hoping that will help speed up the recovery process.
“There are too many times when I actually feel great. The rest of my body at times can still feel great. I can still run, I can still lift. I can still jump. I have everything basically in position to get up there on the mound and compete hard. I just have a forearm issue and that’s what’s preventing me from throwing a baseball right now,” Scherzer said.
Blue Jays Manager Speaks on Max Scherzer
John Schneider, the Blue Jays manager who famously butted heads with Scherzer during last season’s playoff run to the World Series, said that it will ultimately be up to Scherzer to decide when he wants to call it quits. Even with his poor performance this season when he was on the mound, it would be very difficult for Schneider and the organization to tell the baseball legend and 3x Cy Young winner that he isn’t good enough to do this anymore and that he should retire. For Schneider, it’s going to be fully Scherzer’s decision when he decides to walk away for good.
“I think Max will drive that bus. A guy who’s done what he’s done, he’ll know when it’s time to say, ‘All right, I’m going to call it a career.’ Always trying to evaluate him compared to alternatives, a healthy him. Me personally, I would have a tough time saying, ‘Oh, Max Scherzer, you’re healthy and you’re telling me you’re good to go compete but NO,’” Schneider said.
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