Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer is a highly respected veteran who has won three Cy Young awards, pitched a no-hitter, and helped the Washington Nationals win a World Series four years ago.
The New York Mets signed him to a huge three-year deal before the start of the 2022 season, and despite a couple of oblique injuries, he was good enough to post a 2.29 ERA in 145.1 innings.
There was a start that marked his Mets tenure, though: Game 1 of the Wild Card series last year.
There, he allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings against the San Diego Padres, as the Mets dropped Game 1 and, eventually, the series.
Injuries affected him in April and May of 2023, and he had a 4.01 ERA in 107.2 frames in New York before being traded to the Texas Rangers prior to the deadline.
He returned to Citi Field on Monday with the Rangers, and the Mets made him a tribute video.
Fans didn’t like it, and booed him after the video ended.
The Mets made a tribute video for Max Scherzer’s return to Citi Field and fans were booing pic.twitter.com/ztcdWobO4Z
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 28, 2023
It’s not that the fans didn’t like the video itself: they didn’t like the fact that the organization made him a tribute video.
Fans were disappointed about that Wild Card series performance, even if he was still getting his rhythm back after another oblique injury in September.
Because he was a mid pitcher for us, choked in the biggest two starts he had for us, forced his way off the team and cried out, and set back this franchise a year and a half at least.
— Dylan Sandas (@Dylan_Sandas) August 29, 2023
They also didn’t like how he handled the Mets’ selling spree, as some fans felt Scherzer forced his way out because he wanted to play on a winner.
In the end, his numbers with the Mets weren’t bad at all.
Still, he is not the most popular among Citi Field fans.
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