If you weren't a baseball fan, you probably wouldn't recognize Max Scherzer if you passed him on the streets. Although 6'3," Scherzer doesn't strike anyone as the typical "athlete." He's not ripped, he has two different colored eyes, and doesn't really look intimidating (actually quite friendly and goofy). However, Max Scherzer is the most feared pitcher right now in the MLB.

When the Washington Nationals acquired Max Scherzer last offseason (signing him to a seven-year, $210 million contract) there was an extremely high bar set for him. He would be joining an already successful pitching staff, but he was the accredited veteran the Nationals would need to solidify the rotation. During his five-year tenure with the Detroit Tigers, he pitched for an average ERA and WHIP of 3.49 and 1.20, respectively, and accumulated 1,080 strikeouts. Off the stat line, his team made it to the playoffs four out of five years (with one World Series appearance) and he earned a Cy Young Award in the 2013 season, when he pitched to an unbelievable record of 21-3 and ended the season with an ERA of 2.90 and a WHIP of 0.97.

Along with the addition of Scherzer, the Nationals had a lineup that many believed would be the best in the league, both with the bat and on the mound. But in mid-June, 67 games into the season, it appeared as though the Nationals were severely under-performing, mustering only a 34-33 record, and trailing the New York Mets by one and a half games in the NL East. They were a team cluttered with injuries of star players (Stephen Strasburg, Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon) and the starting pitching staff that was supposed to be rock solid was crumbling before fans' eyes. The one constant? Max Scherzer.

In his first 13 starts, Scherzer pitched for a 2.13 ERA and 113 strikeouts, and more importantly giving the Nationals a chance to win every time he was slated to be on the mound. The last game of that 13-game stretch, a June 14th start against the Milwaukee Brewers, was the start of what some baseball fans are calling the best three games for a pitcher... ever.

On that June 14th start, Scherzer was throwing a perfect game through six innings before giving up a single to Carlos Gomez at the start of the 7th. That was the only hit he allowed that game, while walking another batter. He ended the game with the win and 16 strikeouts, a Washington Nationals franchise record and his career high. Six days later, Scherzer's masterful pitching continued against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This time, Scherzer was perfect through eight and 2/3 innings. If he successfully completed the perfect game, it would be the first perfect game for the Washington Nationals and only the 22nd time since 1990. With two outs in the ninth, he hit Pirate's batter Jose Tabata in what was a very controversial call. He got the next batter, Josh Harrison, to fly out, and Scherzer would have to settle for the no-hitter and a face-full of Hershey's syrup. After another six day break, Scherzer once again flirted with the perfect game, keeping the Philadelphia Phillies without a baserunner until the 6th inning. He pitched eight innings in that game, giving up his first two runs in three games, while letting up five hits and striking out seven. Even with this little blip against the Phillies, in Scherzer's last three starts he has pitched for an ERA of 0.70, WHIP of 0.27 and 33 strikeouts. During this stretch, the Nationals have been playing off of Scherzer's excellence, and have posted a 12-3 record and securing a 3 and a half game lead over the Mets in the NL East.

If Scherzer continues his dominance, this season will be the closest thing to perfect. Scherzer is currently 3rd in the NL in wins (9), second in the NL in ERA (1.79 compared to Zach Grienke's 1.70), first in the NL in WHIP (0.79), and second in the NL in strikeouts (130 compared to Clayton Kershaw's 140). Scherzer seems like a lock for the NL Cy Young at this point in the season, and he is already shattering his numbers from his 2013 season. If he remains healthy and starts in 33 games like he did last season, he is on pace for 286 strikeouts. If that wasn't enough to impress you, consider the following. This season, Max Scherzer is keeping hitters to a .180 batting average. That means for ever one-hundred batters, he only lets up 18 hits. As a batter himself, Scherzer is batting .257 (also riding a six-game hitting streak, I might add). For a pitcher who had only stepped up to bat 15 times in the last five seasons, it is absurd that he is holding professional batters to an average .077 points lower than his own. Max Scherzer could very well walk away this season with a Cy Young, a Silver Slugger, and hopefully, a World Series Championship that has eluded him throughout his career.