The buzz builds about Tigers pitching star Max Scherzer, who's now the only 11-0 pitcher in major league baseball this season after striking out a half-dozen batters in Saturday night's 10-3 win over Boston at sold-out Comerica Park.
“That was quite an accomplishment for Max. Congratulations to him,” manager Jim Leyland says, according to The Detroit News.
Scherzer went seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He also notched six strikeouts, a mark he’s reached in each of his 15 starts this season.
At the Free Press, Drew Sharp puts it bluntly:
How can Scherzer not be the AL starting pitcher next month?
Scherzer continued his steady climb into baseball history, becoming the first major league pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1997 to win his first 11 decisions. He can also boast the fourth-longest consecutive streak of six or more strikeouts (15) in baseball history.
“It’s pretty cool to be a part of something like this,” Scherzer said.
A big salary bump is likely after the 2014 season, the columnist points out, "with one more year of salary arbitration remaining before he can test the free agent market and get paid like the big star he’s become."
The 28-year-old right-hander also is the subject of glowing profile by Fox Sports baseball writer Jon Paul Morosi, a Michigan native and former Free Press sportswriter.
Max Scherzer is on track for a big raise after 2014, Jon Paul Morosi of Fox suggests. [Photo by Tom Haggerty]
"Scherzer is virtually assured of an All-Star roster spot for the first time in his career," Morosi writes of the July 16 game.
The team’s fans can debate how many Detroit starters ought to make the AL All-Star team. Scherzer appears to be a lock. . . .
After fanning six Red Sox on Saturday, Scherzer ranks second in the majors with 122 strikeouts. . . .
Pitch value data at FanGraphs.com suggests Scherzer has the best fastball/slider combination of any starter in the majors.
Morosi also notes that Scherzer has "been durable, making 30 or more starts in each of the past four years."
He interviews the star pitcher's agent, Scott Boras, who says:
“Max has become one of the top pitchers in the game. The market’s changed for pitching. Whatever the market was, the market will be new when Max hits it."
The 6-foot-3 phenom is "on track to become a free agent after the 2014 season," Morosi adds. "Scherzer’s future earning potential is soaring."
During the current Detroit baseball renaissance — dating back to the 2006 World Series appearance — the Tigers rarely have lost free agents they wanted to keep. . . .
As long as Mike Ilitch owns the team, it can’t be said that the Tigers’ payroll has reached its limit. With Ilitch, the Tigers’ payroll has no limit.
Earlier Coverage: Max Scherzer Goes 10-1, Breaking Tigers Record Set in 1909, June 18
