Nationals' Max Scherzer Named National League Player of the Week

Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who threw his second no-hitter of the season on Saturday, October 3rd, has been named National League Player of the Week for the week of September 28th-October 4th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network. 

Scherzer was a perfect 2-0 in two starts last week with a 0.53 ERA (1 ER/17.0 IP). The right-handed hurler led the Majors in innings pitched last week and fanned a Major League-best 27, while walking only three. Scherzer struck out a career-high 17 New York Mets batters in Saturday's no-hit performance, leading the way to a 2-0 win at Citi Field. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 17 strikeouts tied Nolan Ryan for the Major League record for strikeouts in a no-hitter (Ryan fanned 17 Detroit Tigers on July 15, 1973, which also came in his second no-no of the season). Scherzer joined Johnny Vander Meer (1938), Allie Reynolds (1951), Virgil Trucks (1952) and Ryan (1973) as the only pitchers to throw two-or-more no-hitters in the same season. The 31-year-old, who also threw a no-hitter against the Pirates on June 20th, is the first to do so against two Postseason-bound teams. Scherzer needed 109 pitches (80 strikes) to dispatch the Mets and did not issue a walk in the no-hit effort. The no-hitter was the seventh thrown in the Majors during the 2015 season and fifth by a National Leaguer. In addition to the no-hitter, Scherzer tossed 8.0 innings of two-hit ball in his penultimate start of the 2015 season - a 5-1 victory over Cincinnati on Monday (9/28). The veteran of eight big league seasons finished the year with double-digit wins (14) for the sixth consecutive season, while his four complete games were tied for first in the Majors. This is his third career weekly honor, having won previously for June 14-20, 2015 and June 16-22, 2013 as a member of the Detroit Tigers. 

Other noteworthy performances last week included Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera (.556, 4 R, 10 H, .722 SLG); Miami's Christian Yelich (.500, 5 R, 11 H, 4 2B, .682 SLG); and Atlanta's Matt Wisler (2-0, 0.53 ERA, 7 SO, 15.2 IP). 

In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Max Scherzer will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.