“Typically your last 15 pitches of your outing typically determine how the outing goes,” Max Scherzer told reporters, after the Washington Nationals’ 34-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff double by César Hernández in the top of the seventh inning of his start against the Philadelphia Phillies back on May 19th, then struck out the next three batters he faced, all of them swinging, on the final fifteen of 117 pitches he threw in what was a 1-0 game. It ended up a 2-0 win for Scherzer and the Nats.
“Tonight, César was able to lead off with the double,” the three-time Cy Young award winner said.