Getty Max Scherzer and wife Erica Scherzer pictured with their oldest daughter.
Before opting to play in the 2020 MLB season, Max Scherzer considered how his decision could impact his wife Erica Scherzer and their two children. Max admitted that he considered his family when making his decision, but the MLB protocols along with his research “alleviat[ed] a lot of fears.”
“Actually reading those studies and seeing that they can detect the virus at a higher rate, really — to me — alleviates a lot of fears for me on my end — especially for my wife and my kids as well — that I wouldn’t necessarily be bringing it home,” Max explained to MLB.com. “Because the testing is going to be happening at a frequency that should provide the answer to the result that if I were to somehow contract it, that I would be able to test for it at an early enough stage.”
Erica and Max recently traveled to Washington D.C. with their children ahead of the start of the season and took to social media to remind fans to “wear your mask.” Erica posted photos of the couple showing off their masks on the flight.
“We made it to DC! So many unknowns ahead but grateful the girls and I get to watch the man we love play the game he loves so much,” Erica noted on Instagram. “Now everyone wear your masks and social distance so we can make sure and have baseball this year!”
The Couple Met as Student-Athletes at the University of Missouri
Erica also has a strong arm as she was a softball pitcher at the University of Missouri where the couple met. She recently took to Instagram to offer Max a heartfelt Father’s Day message.
“How did all us girls get so lucky?!” Erica asked. “Happy Father’s Day to the DaDa that reads, looks for lightning, paints nails and does puzzles, makes the best messes and takes us on the most exciting adventures…and would never sleep on the job. 😂 We love you. ❤️”
Max Cited Testing as a Major Reason for His Decision to Play Baseball in 2020
We have seen some player opt out of the season given the added risk they will face on a daily basis. As the pandemic continues to surge across the country, playing a highly-competitive sport along with the continuous travel presented each player with a challenging decision. Max cited the MLB’s frequent testing as one of the reasons he felt safe to play.
“For me, the testing is such a huge aspect to this, of restarting our season,” Max said, per MLB.com. “And the test that we do have seems to be a highly accurate test, so that I do feel safe about going into a clubhouse and knowing that everybody else has been tested multiple times negative to really curtail any possibility that somebody could have it right now.”
The Nationals received bad news on Opening Day as Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19. Max and other Nationals players are hoping the positive tests are a rarity for the rest of the season.
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