PHOENIX — Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer developed a cut on his right thumb earlier this month, but he doesn’t believe it will hinder him when he takes the ball for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night.
The Rangers’ medical staff recently developed a remedy to provide a layer of protection for it — super glue and cotton.
“A little arts and crafts in the training room at times,” Scherzer said, “but that’s what you’ve got to do.”
Scherzer, acquired in a midseason trade from the New York Mets, was diagnosed with a low-grade strain of the teres muscle in his right shoulder around the middle of September but made it back to pitch in the American League Championship Series, allowing a combined seven runs in 6⅔ innings against the Houston Astros.
Scherzer pitched with the same cut — on the inside part of his right thumb, near the nail — in both of those outings but downplayed its effect on the results. He believes the cut might have stemmed from the skin of his hand not being as callused due to the time off from throwing at high intensity.
Scherzer, 39, said he is “getting past” the shoulder issue and is starting to settle back into a rhythm. He can throw at his normal intensity — his fastball velocity in the ALCS said as much — but he’s still uncertain how long he can maintain it. His two starts have seen him throw only 63 and 44 pitches, respectively.
“I don’t know what my finishing pitch count number is actually going to be,” Scherzer said of his upcoming start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I’m still trying to build back up in that regard. But in terms of throwing 100% effort — yeah, I can do that.”
