What Does Scherzer’s 2024 Debut Mean for the Texas Rangers?
Yesterday, Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer made his 2024 debut against the Kansas City Royals. At 36-40, the Rangers desperately needed a win that would boost their confidence and help turn their play around during the second half of the season. Scherzer only pitched five innings, however, he gave up just one hit with four strikeouts in a 4-0 win over the Royals. With Texas still a half-game behind the Houston Astros for second place in the AL West division, and six and a half games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners, the defending champion Rangers have some work cut out for them, these next few months.
Scherzer at 39 years of age has done it all during his Hall of Fame career. With his unbelievable 2024 debut, Texas has a huge opportunity to turn their rough season around if the two-time World Series champion can continue his sharpness on the mound. Starting today, the Rangers will face the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series, then next matchup against the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series. Scherzer will likely make his next start during the opening or second game of the Orioles series. Baltimore won the AL East division last season, and now they are currently one and a half games behind the first-place New York Yankees. That series will certainly be tough, but if the three-time Cy Young Award can get passed a tough young team like the O’s, the Rangers may go on a run that makes them a postseason contender.
After the win, Scherzer said, “The Royals' hitters were aggressive, and we were able to get some quick outs because of that. Then obviously our offense gets a nice little three-spot and gives me a little breathing room. We played great baseball and we won. That's why it's great. It’s a great team win when everybody chips in and contributes. That's what we play the game for.” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, “We’re not putting any expectations on him. He’s missed a lot of games. We’ve told him that. We’re not expecting him to be that three-time Cy Young Award winner. We want him to go out there and give us a chance to win. That’s all we’re looking for. Max is a smart guy. He knows himself better than anybody, knows where he’s at in his career. It’s good to have him out there. His presence is good for the club, I think.” How will the Texas Rangers perform during the second half of the 2024 MLB regular season?
