Max Scherzer honored again as NL Pitcher of the Month

After tossing his first career no-hitter, Max Scherzer was recognized as the National League Pitcher of the Month for June. Scherzer, who also received the honor in May, began the month by allowing a combined eight earned runs over two losses. But the 30-year-old right-hander responded in his third start with one of the most dominating performances in Major League Baseball History.

Scherzer threw six perfect innings at Milwaukee before allowing a broken bat bloop single to the Brewers' Carlos Gomez to lead off the seventh. Scherzer added a walk in the eighth, but that was it as he struck out 16 in the complete-game shutout.

The Pirates were Scherzer's next victim six days later as this time the dominant right-hander carried a perfect game to the doorstep of baseball immortality. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Pittsburgh pinch-hitter Jose Tabata ruined perfection when his left elbow got in the way of Scherzer's slider. Scherzer maintained his composure and finished off the no-hitter by getting Josh Harrison to fly out moments later.

Amazingly, Scherzer danced with history again last Friday in Philadelphia by taking a perfect game into the sixth inning for the third consecutive start. With one out, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis finally broke through with a double against Scherzer.

Between Gomez's seventh-inning bloop single in Milwaukee on June 14 and Galvis' two-bagger in Philadelphia, 54 batters stepped to the plate against Scherzer without collecting a hit.

Over the remarkable three-game stretch, Scherzer struck out 33 and only walked one in 26 innings.

Scherzer becomes the first NL pitcher to take home back-to-back Pitcher of the Month awards since the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw did so in June and July of 2014. Houston's Dallas Keuchel accomplished the feat in the American League in April and May this year.

This is the ninth time a Nationals player has been honored with a monthly award. Scherzer and Bryce Harper swept the awards in May joining Chad Cordero (June, 2005), Stephen Strasburg (April, 2012), Gio Gonzalez (May, 2012), Jordan Zimmermann (July, 2012) and Jayson Werth (July 2013, July 2014) as honorees.