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Listen to Max Scherzer


Max Scherzer throws strikes for success as a starting pitcher for the Tigers. But he knows that hitting the strike zone won’t be the only measure of how successful he’ll be over his lifetime. Reading will.


“Reading really opens doors for you as an adult,” says the 6’3” Scherzer, who’s in his first season with the Tigers. “The better you can read, the better you can learn and the more doors open, which allows you to further educate yourself and better yourself in life.” The Tigers acquired Scherzer this year to give the team a hard-throwing right hander to support fellow Tigers pitchers Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Jeremy Bonderman in the starting rotation. Scherzer is always working to improve his skills on the field, and he reads every day off the field to keep up with his sport and learn what's happening in the world. “There’s so many different current events,” he says, “whether it’s sports or other things that are going on in the world that involve this country that could affect my life. “It’s really important to read well because it gives you the ability to learn and educate yourself on different topics,” he adds. “The ability to read well really opens doors for you later in life.” Scherzer, who grew up in St. Louis and went to college at the University of Missouri, first got the reading bug when he was a kid. It gave him goosebumps. Actually, the books that got him hooked were the “Goosebumps” series by R.L. Stine.


“When I was little, I read the ‘Goosebumps’ books,” he says. “I don’t know if they still publish them any more [they do]. I also remember reading Sports Illustrated, because I loved getting to know athletes better from all different sports.


“When you’re a kid and you read about sports, it teaches you so much on how to read,” he says. “If you learn how to read, then maybe if you’re in science class — which might not necessarily be the best reading subject — you have that skill to read and understand what you are reading. “So that’s why I think no matter what you’re reading, just read. Read about any hobby you like. It is going to help you improve your reading skills.” Today, the 25-year-old Scherzer reads a lot when the team is on the road, often using the Internet. “I read a lot of stuff online,” he says. “Given that I travel so much and am always on the road, I read articles online on my computer.” And what does he read?


“A lot of sports, but I also like learning more about things going on in the world as far as events, politics and different things like that,” he says. “And every once in a while you see something on the Discovery channel that is pretty interesting, and I might go read up on that, too.”


Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer first got hooked on reading with the “Goosebumps” books by R.L. Stine.


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