Max Scherzer took the mound on short rest, worked into the eighth inning at age 42 and reminded a packed Rogers Centre why nobody should be too quick to write the final line of his career. The Blue Jays beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 on Sunday, with Scherzer allowing one run, striking out seven and throwing 114 pitches in a performance that felt as much like a celebration as a start.
Whether it was his last major league outing remains for Scherzer alone to decide. He has never made a habit of yielding easily, and Sunday supplied another example. Three strikeouts shy of Justin Verlander for eighth place on MLB’s career strikeout list, Scherzer left the possibility of another milestone — and perhaps another season — hanging in the air.
“I felt like I was unlimited,” Scherzer said.
A familiar argument on the mound
The defining image came in the seventh. Blue Jays manager John Schneider walked out with Scherzer at 104 pitches and two outs in the inning. Toronto fans immediately made their preference clear, booing as Schneider approached the veteran right-hander.
Schneider had planned before the game to remove Scherzer during an inning so the crowd could properly acknowledge him. But Scherzer was not ready for the ceremony.
“The first time, I asked how he was feeling and he said, ‘Great,’” Schneider said. “I told him if I left him in for one more hitter and he got him out, he would need to go back out there. He said he knew that was what he was going to do.”
Scherzer got that hitter, sent his manager back toward the dugout and continued his afternoon. Schneider has seen this act before. A signed photograph in his office recalls Scherzer convincing him to leave him in during Game 4 of the 2025 American League Championship Series in Seattle.
After Scherzer faced one more batter to start the eighth, Schneider returned. This time the pitcher smiled. He held the ball for another moment, drove it into his glove and then embraced his manager as he headed for the dugout.
“I thanked Max for allowing me to share in his incredible career,” Schneider said. “And I told him I would not want any other 42-year-old psychopath on my club.”
One run, seven strikeouts and 114 pitches
Scherzer’s line carried the edge that has defined him for nearly two decades. He struck out seven Reds, including 21 first-pitch strikes, while working into the eighth and keeping Cincinnati to one run.
The 114-pitch workload made him the oldest Blue Jays pitcher to exceed 100 pitches since pitch-count records began in 1988. It came on abbreviated rest, another detail that impressed Reds manager Terry Francona even in defeat.
“I hope young pitchers were watching,” Francona said. “He threw 21 first-pitch strikes, which is remarkable. Then you look at all the innings he has already piled up, coming back on short rest and doing that. It shows the competitor he is. We wanted to win, obviously, but it is hard not to tip your cap. He represents so much that is good about baseball.”
A Toronto sendoff, for now
When Schneider finally took the ball, Scherzer received the loudest response of the afternoon. He moved through the Blue Jays dugout, hugging teammates, rookies, interpreters and staff members before climbing over the wall to reach his wife, Erica, and their children.
The crowd remained on its feet around him.
“Playing here as a Blue Jay has been great,” Scherzer said. “I had so much fun. I tell people around the league that this is a hidden gem of a place to play. You do not fully understand it until you are here.”
Toronto’s season may leave plenty of moments it would rather move past, but Sept. 27 at Rogers Centre will not be one of them. If Scherzer decides this was the final start, he made sure it looked like Max Scherzer: stubborn, brilliant, exhausted only after everyone else agreed he had done enough.
