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Why Max Scherzer has different colored eyes? Blue Jays star's condition explained
Max Scherzer took the ball for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Max Scherzer has a very distinctive appearance and it was on full display as he took the ball for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. His eyes have always stood out because they are differently colored.
Scherzer has one blue eye and the other is brown. In today's face-off, he becomes the oldest pitcher to start a winner-take-all game, at the age of 41. Ahead of the game, commentators praised how ‘locked in’ he was, calling him ‘Mad Max’.
Why Max Scherzer has different colored eyes?
Scherzer has a condition called heterochromia iridis. It is a cosmetic condition which poses no threat to his health or vision. He's always embraced the look and has said “I've always celebrated it. Whether you like it or not, that's who I am,” as per The Mirror US.
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“I got one blue and one brown, there's nothing I can do about it.,” he reportedly added. Heterochromia is a condition which occurs when the body produces different amounts of melanin in each iris. As per National Organization for Rare Disorders heterochromia impacts only 0.1 to 1 percent of the total population of the world.
Congenital or acquired Horner’s syndrome in children can also lead to heterochromia iridis, as per the National Library of Medicine. Horner syndrome happens to be a rare neurological syndrome affecting one's eye and the surrounding area on one side of the face. It is a sign of underlying nerve damage, as per Cleveland Clinic.
After today, Scherzer becomes the only living pitcher to start two winner-take-all Game 7s in the World Series. He had also started the last World Series Game 7 in 2019, boosted by a cortisone injection for an irritated nerve near his neck. Only Bob Gibson (1964, ‘67, ’68) and Lew Burdette and Don Larsen (both 1957 and ‘58) have started multiple winner-take-all Game 7s in the World Series. Burleigh Grimes started Game 7 in 1920 and ’31, but his first was in a year the Series was best-of-nine.
(With AP inputs)
