Max Scherzer: ‘We Actually Had a Great Clubhouse’

Max Scherzer fended off any speculation that the Mets might have had a toxic clubhouse on Monday.

Following numerous rumors and reports about the Mets’ clubhouse culture — including notions that Scherzer and fellow veteran Justin Verlander didn’t get along — the Texas Rangers right-hander adamantly denied all of it while talking to reporters at Citi Field.

“We actually had a great clubhouse,” Scherzer said. “We had great veterans in our clubhouse, everybody included. That’s definitely not the reason why we lost. We were a tight-knit group. Had a lot of fun together.”

A New York Post report on August 12 claimed Verlander had a “diva” attitude that clashed with Scherzer, who was reportedly detached from his Mets teammates. Verlander cleared the air on this two days later in a Tweet, saying he had “nothing but respect” for the Mets and wishing them the best going forward. He also said he enjoyed connecting with his “new and old” teammates” — which would include Scherzer — and that they were a “wonderful” group of people.

Now, Scherzer has followed suit. He backed up Verlander’s claim that there was no bad blood, especially between the two pitchers who were once teammates in Detroit.

“All the stuff with Ver and I —” Scherzer said, shaking his head with a slight eye roll, “Ver and I are actually on a better page now than when we started the season. We’re much better off than we’ve ever been. That was an anonymous quote. You never know the context of that, so I don’t even want to speculate on it.”

Scherzer and Verlander were billed as co-aces that could lead this team to success, but it never worked out that way. Verlander had to work his way back from injury, while Scherzer underwhelmed in his age-38 season. He had strong strikeout and walk numbers, with 10.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, but he surrendered 1.9 HR/9 and posted a 4.01 ERA overall — not bad, but a far cry from the 2.80 ERA he put over seven years with the Nationals.

“I wish I would’ve pitched better,” Scherzer said. “I don’t like to point fingers unless I can point fingers at myself. And I definitely can point a finger at myself.”

But despite his own underperformance, and the team’s own shortcomings, Scherzer was adamant it had nothing to do with any kind of clubhouse or off-field issues. Like Verlander, he expressed gratitude at the time he got to spend with New York.

“I loved my time with the Mets,” Scherzer said. “I loved getting to play for Buck. I loved all the guys that were in the clubhouse. We really felt we had a great group to be able to win. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get those type of results.

Scherzer won’t pitch against the Mets this series, but his Rangers will take on New York for a three-game set starting Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET.

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