Max Scherzer on National League DH: 'I wouldn't be opposed'
Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is in favor of the National League adopting the designated hitter, he told CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.
"I wouldn't be opposed," Scherzer told Heyman, when asked if he supported the universal DH.
"If you look at it from the macro side, who'd people rather see hit—Big Papi or me?" Scherzer continued. "Who would people rather see, a real hitter hitting home runs or a pitcher swinging a wet newspaper? Both leagues need to be on the same set of rules."
Scherzer's comments were prompted by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright's injury. Wainwright injured his Achilles tendon while running out of the batter's box during an at-bat Saturday. He was placed on the disabled list Sunday and the team reportedly fears he will miss the rest of the season.
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Scherzer, too, was recently injured while batting. He jammed the thumb on his throwing hand while hitting in Thursday's game and reported discomfort while trying to throw on Sunday. He will likely miss his next scheduled start on Tuesday, manager Matt Williams said Sunday.
"We'll probably have to make an adjustment on Tuesday," Williams said, according to the Associated Press. "I don't anticipate him missing more than one turn, but again you don't know."
Scherzer was initially optimistic he would be able to pitch but said he would be cautious, noting that he risked injuring his arm if he altered his throwing motion to compensate for the thumb injury.
"I’m not ready to rule it out completely, but I also have to be honest with myself," Scherzer said earlier Sunday, according to CSN Washington. "Anytime you deal with an injury to your pitching hand, you literally have to be 100 percent to go back out there."
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Scherzer spent his first two major-league seasons in the NL with the Arizona Diamondbacks, followed by five years in the AL with the Detroit Tigers. He signed with Washington this winter. He is a career .159 hitter and has struck out in 29.5% of his at-bats.
- Dan Gartland
