New Mets ace Max Scherzer made his spring training debut on Monday, as the team from Queens lost to the Miami Marlins by a 3-0 margin.
Scherzer, who signed with the Mets this offseason, pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 hits and one run when Jazz Chisholm Jr. crossed the plate on a single from Avisail Garcia in the first inning.
The Amazins’ failed to produce much offense in the afternoon exhibition, as they recorded just 2 hits — one from infielder Luis Guillorme, and one from Jake Mangum.
Scherzer, 37, signed a $130 million deal with the Mets in the offseason, which came as one of billionaire owner Steve Cohen’s biggest splashes in the free agent market.
[READ ALSO: Max Scherzer gives Mets ‘crash course’ in first live spring outing]
The righty has won three Cy Young awards, most recently in 2017 while playing for the Washington Nationals.
His five-inning debut, for which he earned a 1.80 ERA, saw Scherzer throw 72 pitches, which is a significant amount for any player on the mound in preseason.
The highlight of the game for the Mets, and for fans hoping the bullpen can propel them in the postseason this year, came as Scherzer recorded 3 strikeouts in the 4th inning.
Max Scherzer struck out three Marlins in the 4th inning 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XUsfIiNwyb
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 21, 2022
Scherzer ended the contest with 5 total strikeouts.
For his part, the former Washington Nationals starter, who also played for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, praised the opportunity to be a Met, while reminiscing about his past time facing off against New York.
“It’s fun to have these New York fans behind me now. After coming out here and competing against them for so long — to now have them on your side is great,” he said after the game.
As for the added pressure of pitching on a contender in a big market like New York, Scherzer said he welcomed the challenge.
“I like a hostile environment,” he said. “I’m a high adrenaline pitcher, so it’s going to be fun to pitch a lot in that type of atmosphere.”
