HOUSTON (AP) This is Max Scherzers shot.
Hurting so much over the weekend that it seemed his season might be over, Mad Max instead gets the ball for a final time in Game 7 of the World Series.
Thats what you live for, the Washington Nationals ace said.
Baseball fans, same thing.
A matchup devoid of late-inning drama thats threatening to set a record low for television ratings has suddenly turned into must-see TV.
Maybe not how we drew it up in terms of how we got there, but it doesnt take away the opportunity we have to win the World Series, Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch said.
Zack Greinke, acquired by Houston in late July for exactly these situations, starts Wednesday night for the Astros.
A little excited about it at the moment, but well see, Greinke said.
The wild-card Nationals, trying to rewrite franchise history with their first championship. The 107-win Astros, aiming to build a legacy by taking their second crown in three years.
A pair of teams that began spring training under sunny skies in February, working out side-by-side in the complex they share in Florida, now meeting in late October under the retractable roof at Minute Maid Park for the biggest prize of all.
So what to expect from Scherzer?
Unable to pitch Game 5 on Sunday night because of nerve irritation near his neck that required an injection, the three-time Cy Young Award winner is set to start this all-or-nothing showdown.
The cortisone shot worked. That relieved the pressure on the nerve, Scherzer said.
Everybody has the belief in me and the doctors that I could get right and be ready, he said.
Scherzer tossed in the outfield before Game 6 a 7-2 win by the Nationals and even loosened up in the bullpen in the seventh inning Tuesday night.
