Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer left Game 3 of the World Series with back tightness after pitching three scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in Phoenix.
The right-hander consulted with a team trainer and appeared to be grimacing in pain as he headed to the dugout after finishing the third inning. The club quickly announced he would not return, and Jon Gray replaced him for the fourth inning.
Scherzer scattered two hits and two walks with one strikeout over his three innings of work. He left the game with a 3-0 lead.
Texas acquired Scherzer from the New York Mets at the trade deadline. He suffered a teres major muscle injury on Sept. 12 and was sidelined until the American League Championship Series, when he started Games 3 and 7.
Scherzer, 39, was pitching in a World Series game for the fourth time in his career and the first since Game 7 in 2019, when he helped the Washington Nationals defeat the Houston Astros for the title.
The Rangers and Diamondbacks split the first two games of the series in Arlington, Texas.
–Field Level Media