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Max Scherzer's long at-bat was probably not the pitchers' duel Clayton Kershaw was expecting

In the first inning of the Dodgers' 4-3 win over the Nationals in Game 1 of the NLDS, Corey Seager homered to give L.A. an early 1-0 lead. But the Nats weren't about to let that stand, even if they were facing Clayton Kershaw. By the bottom of the second, they had loaded the bases.
So who was the hero who would hopefully knock in a run? Who, with two outs recorded, was about to write his name in the Book of Clutch? Was it postseason hero Daniel Murphy? Or defending MVP Bryce Harper? Uh … nope. It was Max Scherzer.
But just because you're a pitcher doesn't mean you can't contribute at the plate. Lo and behold, Scherzer made Kershaw work for the out, putting together an eight-pitch at-bat. 

Scherzer ultimately popped out to Seager, ending the inning, but Kershaw exited the game after the fifth, having thrown a total of 101 pitches. Scherzer may not have gotten a run in, but he certainly contributed to chasing Kersh. 
Tune in for Saturday's Game 2 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1 to see if the Nats can even things up. 

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