'Don't [expletive] touch me.' Dave Roberts' story on getting to know Max Scherzer is priceless

He learned the hard way.

Apparently, no one told Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that new pitcher Max Scherzer — whom the franchise traded with the Washington Nationals to acquire — doesn’t like to be touched while he’s pitching.

That’s right. No pats on the backside, no tap of the shoulder, nothing.

On Sunday night, as the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, Roberts told the story to Sunday Night Baseball: He said that he gave Scherzer a pat as the pitcher came into the dugout, and Roberts heard him say, “Don’t [expletive] touch me.” When his players told him that’s Scherzer’s thing, he clearly listened, because there’s video of Roberts clearly avoiding putting his hands on the pitcher.

Here’s the story:

Watching ESPN on mute made me miss the Dave Roberts story about Max Scherzer. pic.twitter.com/gfJ6cOJPfb

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 16, 2021

And here’s the video from Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) with the moment that Roberts made sure he didn’t touch Scherzer:

Amazing.