What surprisingly revived the "Mad Max," who was seriously considering retirement, was the piano. By playing piano keys, he escaped the nagging thumb pain and succeeded in extending his active career. This is the story of three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (41·Toronto Blue Jays).
The Athletic in the United States on the 24th (Korea time) covered Scherzer's story of overcoming a retirement crisis by playing piano. Scherzer earlier this month returned to Toronto on a one-year guaranteed $3 million free agent contract. The deal includes $1 million increments for every 10 innings from 65 innings to 155 innings and up to $10 million in incentives.
As Toronto's fifth starter entering the opening rotation, Scherzer had the unique backstory of "piano rehabilitation." The Athletic reported that "piano playing solved the right-thumb problem that had plagued Scherzer for two years. He is convinced that pounding the keys strengthened his fingers and hand muscles, helped hand agility and eased the thumb pain."
Chris Bassitt (Baltimore Orioles), a former teammate who watched Scherzer play piano at the road hotel in August last year, recalled, "When I first heard about it, I joked calling Scherzer 'Mozart.' Inside I thought, 'he's really losing it.'" The idea that playing piano keys could heal a finger injury sounded like a joke.
The Athletic explained, "Bassitt's reaction was not entirely wrong. Doctors who previously examined him said there was no surgical method to relieve thumb joint pain. No one offered a feasible solution, and Scherzer decided to solve the problem himself." Having stumbled upon the piano and overcome the problem by playing it, Scherzer said, "If this doesn't work, it would be a stupid thing to do, but since it works, it's not a stupid thing."
Scherzer admitted that he seriously considered retirement when his thumb pain did not disappear early last season. He tried various treatments, including acupuncture and cortisone injections, but the pain did not go away. He said, "There were several moments when I planned to quit if I couldn't make the next bullpen session or appear in a game. I don't remember the exact dates, but there were times I thought this is the end, I can't throw anymore, I'll just keep hurting my arm. The thumb pain took away the joy of pitching." Even after returning to the majors in late June, Scherzer pitched while bearing the pain. Before a bullpen session he even told Bassitt, "If this doesn't work again, it's over. I'm going home."
But in mid-July before the All-Star break, Scherzer happened upon a piano. There was a piano in the Toronto condo where the Scherzer family was staying. A father of four, Scherzer remembered his childhood and taught his children the piano while playing a few pieces himself. After fiddling with the piano and then gripping the ball again, he felt his thumb's condition had improved. He played the piano throughout the All-Star break and noticed a different feeling in his fingers in his first start of the second half. From then on he played the piano for an hour at a time.
Scherzer said, "When you play various keys, notes and chords, the fingers are placed in very unique positions. You really have to move the fingertips a lot. Using those hand muscles made my fingers stronger. Then suddenly the thumb pain eased."
On the Colorado road trip last August, after a night game ended, Scherzer recalled the desperate moment when he asked the hotel front desk to unlock the piano, saying, "The staff looked at me strangely. There probably wasn't anyone who requested to play the piano at 10:30 p.m. But I had to do it."
After that he bought a portable keyboard online that had the same weight as a real piano keyboard and played it quietly in his hotel room during every road trip. As his playing improved day by day, the thumb pain disappeared. As soon as the World Series ended, the first thing Scherzer did was buy a piano for his home in Jupiter, Florida. Convinced that stopping piano playing would cause the thumb pain to recur, he continues to play the piano to this day.
Bassitt said, "Scherzer is a Hall of Famer beyond doubt and has had an unbelievable career. Unfortunately, in a situation where he injured his thumb, I would have told him he could retire, but he searched everywhere for something that could help him. Of all the treatments in the world, the piano saved his career. It's so like Max Scherzer."
Toronto ace Kevin Gausman, who said Scherzer's piano skills were not great at first, praised him: "Scherzer once said, 'Learning something new at 41 is a great thing. It's starting something you know nothing about.' You could feel his excitement about something new." He lauded Scherzer for finding passion by taking on a new challenge even after achieving so much.
Although the contract came late, Scherzer showed he was still in form in spring training, throwing 13 2/3 innings across three games with four hits allowed, five walks, nine strikeouts and no runs. His four-seam fastball reached a top speed of 95.8 mph (154.2 km/h) and averaged 95.8 mph (150.5 km/h), a blazing fastball belied by his age of 41, signaling his potential impact this season.
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