Max Scherzer pulls himself from Mets start with apparent injury

Max Scherzer left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday with an apparent injury.

The New York Mets pitcher signaled to the dugout with two outs in the sixth inning and motioned that he was done. He then spoke with manager Buck Showalter and members of the Mets coaching and training staff on the mound and exited the game. He appeared to know immediately that he couldn't pitch any more after throwing an 85 mph slider in the dirt with Albert Pujols at the plate and runners on first and second.

The Mets announced later in the game that Scherzer was experiencing left side discomfort. He's scheduled for further medical evaluation on Thursday.

Scherzer threw 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes before leaving the game. He struck out four, walked none and allowed seven hits and two runs, one earned, while picking up the win in the 11-4 Mets victory.

Scherzer, 37, has taken over as New York's ace with Jacob deGrom sidelined all season by a scapula injury. In seven starts prior to Wednesday, Scherzer posted a 2.66 ERA and .909 WHIP with 55 strikeouts and 11 walks in 44 innings pitched. He has a 4-1 record for a 24-14 Mets team that entered Wednesday with a 5.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

After a midseason trade from the Washington Nationals to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, Scherzer signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Mets in the offseason.