Former Mets Pitcher Says World Series Start 'What You Dream Of'
PHOENIX — Former New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer will start Game 3 of the World Series for the Texas Rangers on Monday night.
It’s the start that most Mets fans were hoping Scherzer would make for them when he was signed to a three-year, $130 million deal before this season.
Things didn’t work out as Scherzer or the Mets had hoped and he ended up with the Rangers, where he’ll start his fourth career World Series game, this time against another former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“This is what you dream of when you're a kid,” Scherzer said. “When you're a kid you dream of hitting in the World Series, pitching in the World Series. You watched your idols do this in all the big games, and to be able to live out your dreams.
“So for me, my third World Series, this is crazy to say it's my third World Series, but here I have such another opportunity to live out my dream.”
Scherzer started one World Series game with the Detroit Tigers in 2011 and two with the Washington Nationals in 2019. In the latter series, Scherzer won his only World Series ring.
When the Mets signed Scherzer, the idea was to build on their 2022 playoff appearance. Along with Scherzer, the Mets committed big free-agent dollars to Justin Verlander, who was coming off winning a second World Series title with the Houston Astros.
Scherzer went 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA with the Mets. But the team languished in the standings in late July, and when Scherzer found out that the Mets were looking to deal him, he and team owner Steve Cohen had a candid conversation about the franchise’s direction.
A couple of days later, he was headed to Texas, which was looking to win now, like Scherzer.
The 39-year-old went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA with the Rangers but missed the final three weeks of the season with a strained right teres major in his back and only returned to the Rangers for the American League Championship Series.
Meanwhile, the Mets parted ways with manager Buck Showalter, saw general manager Billy Eppler resign and hired David Stearns to be the team’s president of baseball operations.
It’s a new day in New York, but their past will be on display on Monday night.
