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SI Insider: Mike Trout Says Max Scherzer Is the Toughest Pitcher He Has Faced, But the Numbers Reveal Another Pitcher as a Frontrunner

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1:28

Recently the Angels' Mike Trout told golfer Brooks Koepka that Max Scherzer is the toughest pitcher he has faced, citing an at-bat from the 2018 All-Star Game. SI senior writer Tom Verducci found another pitcher, a pitcher you might not expect, that one of the best players in baseball has a difficult time with. 

Video Transcript: 

Mike Trout recently told the golfer, Brooks Koepka, that the toughest pitcher he has faced in the big leagues is Max Scherzer. But I found somebody else who's even tougher on Mike. First, Scherzer. Trout talked about an epic eight-pitch walk he had against Max in the 2018 All-Star Game. Five of those eight pitches where between 96 and 98 miles an hour. In his career, Trout is 3-for-16 against Scherzer. 

Now, among the 68 pitchers that Trout has seen at least 15 times: that's the second lowest on base percentage. Number one? Well, that belongs to a guy who rarely cracks 92 miles an hour. That's Wade Miley. The left-hander has held Trout to two hits in 18 at bats. Last year, Trout was 0-for-9 against Miley and he saw 70 percent fastballs and cutters. Now, in his career, Trout has struck out 10 times against Scherzer and has never struck out against Miley. But when you talk about the toughest pitchers on Mike Trout, you can start with two very different pitchers, Max Scherzer and Wade Miley.