Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata drew quite a bit of ire, both from Nats fans and national media, for not trying to avoid a Max Scherzer slider with a 2-2 count in the ninth inning last night.
Max Scherzer was rolling. The Nats 30-year-old ace dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates for 8.2 innings, striking out 10 of the 26 men he'd faced without allowing a single baserunner. With Scherzer just an out away from perfection, the Pittsburgh Pirates turned to Jose Tabata off the bench. Scherzer quickly got ahead of Tabata 0-2, but Tabata battled his way back to a 2-2 count and fouled a few tough pitches off.