The full-count changeup that still defines Max Scherzer’s Cy Young season in Detroit

On Nov. 13, 2013, Max Scherzer won his first Cy Young Award. He won 21 games for the Tigers that year, struck out 240 hitters and appeared on all 30 American League ballots. Thirteen years later, the pitch I’d pull up to show somebody what Detroit had in Scherzer came in a relief appearance. He had already thrown Josh Reddick six straight fastballs, the bases were loaded, and one more ball would tie a playoff game.

The vote itself had little suspense. Scherzer received 28 first-place votes and finished 110 points ahead of Texas right-hander Yu Darvish. One of the other first-place votes went to a teammate. Aníbal Sánchez went 14-8 with a 2.57 ERA and finished fourth, giving Detroit two of the top four pitchers on the ballot. Scherzer held opponents to a .198 average over 214 1/3 innings. His 21-3 record drew the attention, but opposing lineups spent six months working awfully hard for a hit.

By the time the results came out, Tigers fans had seen what happened when Jim Leyland needed three outs and had the option of using his best starter. Detroit trailed Oakland two games to one in the Division Series. Scherzer, who had started Game 1, came out of the bullpen in Game 4. The Tigers scored twice in the seventh to go ahead 5-4. Then Brandon Moss walked, Yoenis Céspedes doubled and Detroit intentionally walked Seth Smith. Scherzer had put the tying run 90 feet away and given himself no margin for another walk.

Reddick had already doubled off starter Doug Fister that afternoon. Scherzer and catcher Alex Avila went after him with fastballs, and Reddick kept the at-bat alive by fouling off two. With the count full, a fastball had an obvious advantage for the pitcher. He could challenge Reddick in the zone and trust his velocity. It also happened to be the pitch for which Reddick had spent the entire at-bat getting his timing down.

Scherzer threw the changeup. Reddick swung through it, giving Detroit the first out and leaving the runners where they were. Against Stephen Vogt, Scherzer got ahead and finished him with an 0-2 fastball. Two hitters into the bases-loaded jam, the Tigers could finally allow a ball to reach the outfield without a runner tagging up to tie the game.

Pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo made them use that extra out. He pulled a ball foul down the left-field line and eventually drove a full-count pitch toward left-center. Austin Jackson caught it. Detroit won 8-6, sent the series back to Oakland and won Game 5 behind Justin Verlander. In the box score, Scherzer got the win for two innings in which he allowed three hits, two walks and a run. On paper it was one of his less impressive pitching lines of the year.

That’s what I like about going back to the Reddick at-bat on the anniversary of the award. Scherzer had the fastball to challenge a major league hitter six pitches in a row. With Detroit’s season riding on the seventh, he trusted Avila, threw the changeup and got the swing those first six pitches had set up.