Max Scherzer really wanted to watch the Capitals game

Max Scherzer, in the game as a pinch hitter, scored from first base in the Nationals 14-inning win against the Braves on Saturday.

Max Scherzer has won three Cy Young awards in his 11-year major league career, but he showed Saturday that he can do it at the plate as well, hitting a single before scoring what would be the winning run for the Nationals against the Braves.

With the game tied at 3-3 in the 14th inning, Scherzer was called in as a pinch hitter, and squeezed a single up the middle to give the Nats a man on first with one out, his eighth hit of the year.

After Michael Taylor flied out to center, Wilmer Dilfer stepped up and cracked a two-out triple to send Scherzer home. The pitcher may not be accustomed to running the bases, but he was clearly desperate to give his team the lead, and made it home with plenty of room to spare.

Sean Doolittle came in and got the save to secure Washington’s 33rd win of the season. The Nationals now trail the Braves by only half a game in the National League East after winning seven of their last 10 games.

Washington is good enough to contend for the World Series this year after so much recent disappointment in the playoffs, and arguably no player is more important to that effort than Scherzer, who showed is all-around value once more.

Scherzer has been dominant on the mound as well, with a 9-1 record, 1.92 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Those numbers mean he’s right in the thick of another Cy Young race, and high-effort plays like the one he made on Saturday can’t hurt either.

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Then again, maybe he just wanted to get home in time for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, where the Washington Capitals are trying to take a 2-1 lead against the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights.