Quinn Mathews Outduels MLB Legend in Spring Training Debut for St. Louis Cardinals

For Mathews, the game will be a memorable one. It's not every day Max Scherzer is your counterpart at starting pitcher.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Quinn Mathews throws during at the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 12, 2025. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The ticket holders at the spring training game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., saw the debut of future Baseball Hall of Fame member Max Scherzer in a Jays uniform on Tuesday.

But they also saw the start of what could be a very promising career.

Quinn Mathews, the starter for the Cardinals, went more than toe to toe with Scherzer in his Grapefruit League debut. The No. 4-ranked left-handed prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, Mathews threw two scoreless innings and gave up two hits and a walk. He struck out three batters, throwing 33 pitches with 24 strikes.

He threw a 1-2-3 first inning, enticing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to strike out on an 81.1 mph changeup on a 2-2 pitch.

MLB's No. 4 LHP prospect Quinn Mathews made a scoreless Grapefruit League debut, working his way out of trouble for the @Cardinals:
2 IP
2 H
0 R
1 BB
3 K
33 pitches, 24 strikes pic.twitter.com/XFqMxaKYnD

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 25, 2025

Scherzer, for his part, gave up a leadoff triple to Victor Scott II, who came in on a sacrifice fly. Scherzer struck out four in his two innings.

Mathews, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, was taken by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. out of Stanford.

Matthews, 24, was named Pitching Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline after his 2024 performance, when he finished 8-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 26 starts across four levels, culminating at Triple-A Memphis. He struck out 202 batters in 143.1 innings.

Mathews became the first minor league pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in a season since 2011, per MLB Pipeline.

The Cardinals have five established starting pitchers heading into the season: right-handers Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas and Andre Pallante to go with southpaw Steven Matz.

But should any of them falter in the spring, or if the injury bug hits, the Cardinals will have confidence in calling upon Mathews should he continue to follow the path of his debut.

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