Max Scherzer will take the ball Sunday at Rogers Centre with no promise attached beyond one more start. The 42-year-old right-hander has not decided whether he will pitch next season, but he knows he wants to finish this year healthy, in uniform and in front of his children.
Toronto has been eliminated, leaving Scherzer’s scheduled appearance in the season finale free of the usual October stakes. It may instead become a personal milestone: a chance for one of the game’s great competitors to pitch for his family, savor the moment and perhaps add to his place on the all-time strikeout list.
“I just want to go out there and pitch tomorrow, knowing that you never know, it could be my last,” Scherzer said. “Just in case.”
His children could not make the earlier start in Baltimore because school was in session. With Sunday’s game long circled on the calendar, Scherzer said the opportunity to pitch before them mattered whether this is the final outing of his career or merely the end of another season.
“It gives me a chance to pitch in front of my kids one more time, if it is the end,” Scherzer said. “If it’s not, who knows?”
A decision for later
Scherzer is not ready to put a retirement date on his career. He said he and the people closest to him agree there is no reason to settle the question before the offseason unfolds.
“I’m going to make this decision about playing next year later in the offseason,” Scherzer said. “I’ve gone through ups and downs throughout the season, I get it, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m pretty healthy.”
He has dealt with injuries during his two years in Toronto and owns a 5.64 ERA in that stretch, but his influence around the club has extended well beyond the line score. Young Blue Jays pitchers have watched a veteran with a deep résumé bring the same edge, preparation and competitive fire to every day at the park.
That intensity was on display during the 2025 American League Championship Series, when Scherzer sharply waved manager John Schneider away from the mound in Game 4 at Seattle. It has been part of his identity throughout a career that has placed him alongside Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw among the defining starters of his generation.
With 3,550 career strikeouts, Scherzer ranks ninth in baseball history. He remains within range of Verlander’s position higher on the list, and Sunday could offer a final chance this season to narrow that gap. On short rest, the decision on how long he pitches is expected to rest largely on his own comfort level.
For Scherzer, though, the numbers are secondary to the feeling of still being able to compete.
“I have no idea how I’m going to feel here in six months,” he said. “For me, right now it’s just about being healthy, pitching in this last game and having fun with it, then seeing what happens. Pitching is so much fun. You never know.”
October remains close
Scherzer still speaks with particular energy about Toronto’s run a year ago, especially the chance to pitch in Game 7 of the World Series at Rogers Centre. For a pitcher whose career is crowded with postseason assignments and major-game moments, that appearance stands out.
“Game 7 of the World Series, there is just nothing better than that,” Scherzer said. “That is baseball at its pinnacle.”
He called the experience a lifelong baseball memory, noting that even after everything he has seen in the sport, pitching in that setting in Toronto ranked among the finest moments of his career.
Whenever his playing days end, Scherzer sees no shortage of ways to remain involved. He wants to coach his own children and the children of friends in youth and amateur sports, with interests reaching beyond baseball to basketball and football. He also believes young athletes should play multiple sports rather than specialize too early.
Coaching, broadcasting, business pursuits and possible ownership opportunities could all wait down the road. For now, Scherzer is keeping the door open to another season, whether that means arriving with a club in spring training or waiting longer for the right fit.
Sunday comes first. One more outing, one more chance to compete, and perhaps one more reminder that Scherzer is not yet prepared to say goodbye to the mound.
