Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has met all kinds of players since joining the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays, but one of his more recent teammates actually made him nervous to even say hello before games: Max Scherzer. Known for his fierce personality on the mound, Scherzer’s intensity was something Guerrero quickly learned to respect.
According to Guerrero Jr., he kept his pregame interactions with Scherzer to a minimum. “I just say ‘Hi’ when we get here and that’s it,” Guerrero said about days when the veteran pitcher was starting. He even described Scherzer as “scary,” a word other players have used in different ways to describe the right-hander’s fiery demeanor.
Scherzer’s focus is so intense that few Blue Jays teammates dare talk to him during games. “When he’s finished, you can talk to him. But when he’s on the mound? Nah,” Guerrero added. His comments echo what Hoffman and Little once said about Scherzer, once the headphones go on, no one interrupts him. It’s an unwritten rule in the clubhouse.
Ty France and Schneider have also witnessed Scherzer’s intensity
France recalled an awkward encounter when he tried to congratulate Scherzer during a game. “I messed up,” France admitted. “No one told me not to talk to him. He got out of a jam, I think it was the third inning. I went to high-five him and he walked right past me, so I patted him on the butt and he had some choice words for me. But then we had a laugh after.”
Manager John Schneider also got a taste of Scherzer’s competitive fire on October 17, when he asked if the pitcher could keep going on the mound. Scherzer didn’t hesitate to fire back: “What, are you f—— crazy?” Schneider recalled with a laugh.
“I think he wasn’t planning—gathering from the bullpen—that he wasn’t actually planning on taking me out,” Scherzer said after that rage answer with Schneider in mid October. “He just wanted to check on me. So I don’t think I actually fought to stay in. I think it was kind of a mind game to kind of get me going.”