Max Scherzer was in agony as he exited Game 3 with back pain

It’s unclear whether it was that batted ball or something else that led to Scherzer developing back pain, but the Rangers starter was able to get through the third inning. Then when he tried to come out for the bottom of the fourth, he was in immediate pain. Scherzer attempted to throw one warmup pitch but had nothing on it and was taken out of the game.

Jon Gray, who was slated to start Game 4 of the series, came out of the bullpen in relief of Scherzer. Gray delivered three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three. He maintained the 3-0 lead Texas had when Scherzer exited.

The Rangers acquired Scherzer in a trade with the New York Mets prior to the trade deadline. He went 4-2 in eight starts with the team but got hurt in September and missed the Wild Card Series and ALDS. But Scherzer was activated for the ALCS and made two starts against Houston. He allowed seven runs over 6.2 innings in that series and was just starting to get into a groove during his first World Series start before getting injured yet again.