It’s been 15 years since Max Scherzer played in La Crosse.
He was 19 years old then, heading into his sophomore season at Missouri when he spent a summer playing for the La Crosse Loggers as a reliever.
Tuesday, the 35-year-old righty takes the mound for the Washington Nationals in a one-game wildcard playoff at home against the Milwaukee Brewers, who will send 26-year-old righty Brandon Woodruff to the mound.
He’s started once against the Brewers this season — a 5-3 loss at Miller Park — striking out 10, walking one in six innings for the no decision. He gave up six hits and one earned run (2 total) in that game.
Listen to Bob Uecker on the call for the Brewers at the Nationals.
Coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. on WKTY 96.7 FM / 580 AM.
Over the past three seasons against Milwaukee, Scherzer is 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA in nine games. During that span, he’s had 28 strikeouts, 11 walks in 23 innings, giving up 14 hits.
This season, Scherzer is 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA. He has 243 strikeouts in 172⅓ innings. The past month, however, those numbers have slipped.
In September, Scherzer is 3-2 with a 5.16 ERA. He has 43 strikeouts and six walks in 29⅔ innings.
Back to his Loggers days, Scherzer was 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA with 50 strikeouts in just 33 innings.
Other players in the Majors that have gone through the Loggers system include Chris Sale of the Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers slugger Eric Thames. Sale and Scherzer faced off two seasons ago, named All-Star starters for their respective leagues.