He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Scherzer puts 50% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
106 pitches to right-handed hitters, 237 to left-handed hitters.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .368 expected average against them, against .233 on his offspeed pitches.
167 of his fastballs thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
18.4 mph separates Scherzer's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.9 against 74.6.
691 and 217 of them respectively.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Scherzer releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 22 degrees above horizontal and 2.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1461 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Scherzer's 4-seam fastball carries 15.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
691 thrown, averaging 92.9 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Scherzer goes to the slider: 27.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.4% the rest of the time.
471 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Scherzer lands 53.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 27.5% of his offspeed pitches.
167 of his fastballs, 51 of his offspeed pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Scherzer throws the slider 34% of the time against right-handers and 9.8% against left-handers.
539 pitches to right-handers, 922 to left-handers.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Scherzer's changeup moves 14.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
227 thrown, averaging 83.9 mph.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Scherzer averages 87.8 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 412th in MLB.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Scherzer throws a fastball 56.8% of the time, against 41.4% when he is ahead.
373 pitches behind in the count, 459 ahead.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Scherzer lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1461 located pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Scherzer's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.2 mph, against 83.1 off his curveball.
691 and 217 of them thrown.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Scherzer puts 58.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
373 located pitches behind, 459 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Scherzer's curveball spins at 2,703 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
217 thrown in 2026.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Scherzer's fastball averages 92.9 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.1 past his 75th.
275 early fastballs, 69 late ones.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Scherzer works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 47.3% of everything he throws.
1461 classified pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Scherzer throws a strike on the first pitch 63.2% of the time.
364 plate appearances started in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.4% of Scherzer's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
269 of 1461 located pitches.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.1 mph off the bat against Scherzer, 39th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 326th in MLB.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Scherzer's 4-seam fastball averages 92.9 mph, and has touched 96.0.
691 thrown, 47.3% of his pitches.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Scherzer releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1361 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Scherzer has thrown 53 cutters this season, 3.6% of his pitches, at 87.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1461 classified pitches in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Scherzer puts 50% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 39.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
106 pitches to right-handed hitters, 237 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .368 expected average against them, against .233 on his offspeed pitches.
167 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Scherzer lands 53.3% of his fastballs in the zone and only 27.5% of his offspeed pitches.
167 of his fastballs, 51 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
18.4 mph separates Scherzer's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 92.9 against 74.6.
691 and 217 of them respectively.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Scherzer throws the slider 34% of the time against right-handers and 9.8% against left-handers.
539 pitches to right-handers, 922 to left-handers.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Scherzer's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 88.2 mph, against 83.1 off his curveball.
691 and 217 of them thrown.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Scherzer's curveball spins at 2,703 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
217 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Scherzer works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup and Curveball. The 4-seam fastball is 47.3% of everything he throws.
1461 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Scherzer's 4-seam fastball averages 92.9 mph, and has touched 96.0.
691 thrown, 47.3% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Scherzer has thrown 53 cutters this season, 3.6% of his pitches, at 87.4 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1461 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Scherzer releases the ball from a sidearm slot, about 22 degrees above horizontal and 2.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1461 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Scherzer's fastball averages 92.9 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 92.1 past his 75th.
275 early fastballs, 69 late ones.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Scherzer releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1361 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Scherzer's 4-seam fastball carries 15.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
691 thrown, averaging 92.9 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Scherzer's changeup moves 14.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
227 thrown, averaging 83.9 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Scherzer goes to the slider: 27.6% of his two-strike pitches, against 14.4% the rest of the time.
471 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Scherzer throws a fastball 56.8% of the time, against 41.4% when he is ahead.
373 pitches behind in the count, 459 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Scherzer puts 58.7% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 38.8% when he is ahead.
373 located pitches behind, 459 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Scherzer throws a strike on the first pitch 63.2% of the time.
364 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Scherzer averages 87.8 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
343 pitches in 2026. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 412th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Scherzer lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.24 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1461 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
18.4% of Scherzer's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
269 of 1461 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.1 mph off the bat against Scherzer, 39th percentile.
343 pitches in 2026. 39th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 326th in MLB.
Blue Jays