With authority, Max Scherzer throws no-hitter: "I'm coming at you with all I've got"

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Max Scherzer did it again. The dominant right-hander became the first pitcher since Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1973 to throw two no-hitters in the regular season as the Nationals shut out the Mets 2-0.

"You're speechless when you hear stuff like that," Scherzer said.

A sixth-inning throwing error from Yunel Escobar interfered with Scherzer's bid for perfection but not much else bothered him tonight. He struck out a career-high 17 batters, including nine straight during a stunning stretch late in the game, when the ace's intensity level was sky high.

"'Here we go, let's go ... It's on,'" Scherzer recalled telling himself as he stalked around the mound. "I'm pumping myself up. I know what's at stake and I want it so it's just one of those things where that's where I get into my mode and I'm coming at you with all I've got."

Scherzer's 17 strikeouts tied Ryan (1973) for most strikeouts in a no-hitter in major league history. He also set a person career-high and a Nationals record by fanning 17 in a game.

"You're in sync with your mechanics, you're in sync with your catcher, you're in sync with what you wanna do," Scherzer said on MASN's "Nats Xtra." "You just have a feeling that you know what the out pitch is and you're reading the swings, you're reading what they're doing and you just try to execute pitches around that. (Wilson Ramos) did a great job of calling some pitches that I wasn't anticipating and I executed anyway and it worked."

Scherzer came one out away from a perfect game when he tossed his first career no-hitter came against the Pirates on June 20 at Nationals Park.

"It was a little bit colder tonight," Scherzer said on MASN's "Nats Xtra." "I remember Pittsburgh being hot. This one was cold, so that's what I can remember about them both."

Scherzer becomes the sixth pitcher in major league history to throw two no-hitters in a season. Roy Halladay threw two no-hitters in 2010, one in the regular season and one in the National League Division Series. The others are Virgil Trucks (1952), Allie Reynolds (1951), Johnny Vander Meer (1938) and Ryan.

"I was able to get some early contact and pounding the zone and working ahead, just getting the 0-2 counts and when I got those 0-2 counts I was able to get fastballs by them and execute the pitches I wanted to, collect those strikeouts on three pitches or four pitches and that's how you keep your pitch count down and how you pitch effectively," Scherzer said on MASN's "Nats Xtra."

Ramos, who was behind the plate for Scherzer's first no-hitter and Jordan Zimmermann's season-ending no-hitter last year, became the 14^th catcher in major league baseball history to catch three no-hitters.

"Willie tonight did a great job behind the plate," Scherzer said. "I trust him so much."

So Scherzer's first season with the Nats ends on a personal high note despite the club missing the playoffs. He went 14-12 with a stellar 2.79 ERA and a career-high 276 strikeouts in 228 2/3 innings.

"Just to be able to come out here and compete against the Mets," Scherzer said on MASN's "Nats Xtra." "I know our season didn't go the way we wanted it to, but we finished strong."