New York Mets ace Max Scherzer not a fan of PitchCom
In this story:
In light of recent sign-stealing scandals across the league in the past few years, Major League Baseball introduced a new device called: PitchCom, which is used by a pitcher-catcher battery to relay signs back and forth without tipping their hand to the other team.
In Wednesday night's victory - in which the Mets pulled off a two-game Subway Series sweep of the Yankees at Citi Field, starting pitcher Max Scherzer used PitchCom for the first time.
And while Scherzer admitted It's a helpful device, he isn't a fan of it.
"Here's what I'll say on PitchCom. It works. Does it help? Yes, but I also think it should be illegal. I don't think it should be in the game. Stealing signs is part of the game. For me, I've always taken pride in having a complex system of signs and having that advantage over other pitchers."
Scherzer, who turned 38 on the day of his latest gem of a start on July 27, is an old school pitcher, who doesn't like the strategy of non-electronic sign stealing being taken away from the game of baseball.
"The fact that we're taking this out of the game and we're putting in technology, now you can't steal signs on second, the pitcher can't have an advantage of having a complex system. It's part of baseball, trying to crack someone's signs."
As for PitchCom, the device features a sleeve with buttons on it, so the catcher can relay signs to the pitcher. It also has an ear piece that sends a voice message to up to three fielders about what pitch is coming.
Scherzer and Nido decided to use PitchCom for the first time together, given the crowd noise at a packed Citi Field for this game, as well as a cross-up between the two on Friday that left Nido with a bruised hand.
The result turned into seven shutout innings from the future Hall of Fame pitcher and birthday boy against a high-powered Yankees lineup. Scherzer, who lowered his ERA on the season to 2.09 ERA, continued to prove just how much of a franchise-altering move he has been for the Mets. He also struck out AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge three times, a few of which came in some key high-leverage spots with runners on base or in scoring position in a close game.
In the end, Scherzer was robbed of a victory on the stat sheet, as David Peterson gave up a game-tying two-run homer to Gleyber Torres in the eighth inning. However, Seth Lugo came up huge in what was a vintage performance across 1 2/3 shutout innings, before Starling Marte produced a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth.
The Mets ultimately swept the Yankees in a two-game Subway Series at Citi Field, and Scherzer went home a happy camper, given he received a special birthday present in an exciting win.
Read More:
- Sources: Mets Discussing Willson Contreras, David Robertson Package With Cubs
- Mets Focused on Other Options as Josh Bell's Market Intensifies
- Mets Among Teams Monitoring J.D. Martinez's Availability
Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
