Max Scherzer finishes season with NL Player of the Week honors after historic no-no

In a bittersweet ending to a rocky year, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer was named the National League Player of the Week after throwing his second no-hitter of the season on Saturday night.

Yunel Escobar's sixth-inning throwing error was the only blemish that stood between Scherzer and a perfect game. From the end of the sixth until the middle of the ninth, Scherzer went on a rampage, striking out a franchise-high nine straight batters.

Scherzer struck out a career-high 17 batters overall in the game, tying Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's mark for most in a no-hitter, which stood for 42 years.

Beyond that, Scherzer became the first to ever strike out 17 in a no-hitter without issuing a walk in the game's history. He's also the first to throw two no-hitters in a season without walking a batter in either game since Hall of Famer Pud Galvin accomplished the feat twice in 1880 and 1884.

Scherzer joined Roy Halladay (2010), Ryan (1973), Virgil Trucks (1952), Allie Reynolds (1951) and Johnny Vander Meer (1938) in throwing two no-hitters within a season (Halladay's second came in the Division Series).

Scherzer's heroics on Saturday night followed his incredible outing last Monday afternoon when he carried a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings against the Reds. He eventually yielded two hits and a run in the eighth.

So the final week of Scherzer's season featured a 2-0 record and a 0.53 ERA with two hits, three walks, 27 strikeouts and one of the game's most memorable no-hit performances.

Scherzer also was awarded NL Player of the Week honors for June 15-21 after tossing his first no-hitter of the season against the Pirates.

In his first year with the Nationals, the decorated ace finished 14-12 with a 2.79 ERA. His four complete games, three shutouts and 276 strikeouts were all career highs.