Blue Jays' Max Scherzer Puts On Clinic in Possible Final Start of Career
In this story:
There is a reason that Max Scherzer has the nickname "Mad Max", and it isn't because he is an angry guy, but because he is a fierce competitor.
Scherzer wears his emotions on his sleeve every time he takes the hill in a game, and that was on full display Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
There have been whispers that Scherzer could be retiring this offseason, which is why he pitched on short rest against the Cincinnati Reds in game 162 for the Blue Jays. He wanted to make sure he threw one more time in front of his family (and the fans) in Toronto.
That being said, nothing is official just yet, but after seeing him go into the eighth inning it sure feels like he could be returning to give it one more go, especially since he is three strikeouts shy of tying Justin Verlander for eighth all-time.
Max Scherzer was NOT coming out of this game! 😤 pic.twitter.com/W1rLRiP3S5
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2026
Since the 42-year-old last pitched on Wednesday, the general consensus was that he would only go a few innings, as three days' rest is far from the norm. Instead, Scherzer threw 114 pitches to strike out seven and hold the Reds to one run.
Now, everyone can remember when John Schneider tried to pull Scherzer during Game 4 of the ALCS last postseason, and Scherzer refused to come out. Well, the same happened Sunday afternoon.
Schneider trotted out there with two outs in the seventh, and once again Scherzer brushed him off, sending him on his way back to the dugout by himself. If this was his finale, he would leave baseball the same, full of passion, determination, and love for the game.
Scherzer’s Career Accolades Since Debuting in 2008
Around this time last year, Scherzer's future in the majors was in question, and that question is still lingering. Now, he is posting a 3.86 ERA over his last seven starts, so maybe he will come back to add to his very long list of career accomplishments.
- 3x Cy Young Award Winner: 2013 (AL), 2016 (NL), 2017 (NL)
- 2x World Series Champion: 2019 (Washington Nationals), 2023 (Texas Rangers)
- 8x MLB All-Star: 2013/2014 (Detroit Tigers), 2015-2019 (Nationals), 2021 (Nationals/ Los Angeles Dodgers)
- MLB Player's Choice AL Outstanding Pitcher: 2013 (Tigers)
- MLB Players Choice NL Outstanding Pitcher: 2017 (Nationals) and 2021 (Dodgers)
- All-MLB First Team: 2019 and 2021
- 20 Strikeout Game: 2016
Scherzer has a career ERA of 3.29 and more than 3,550 strikeouts accumulated over the years, while also logging 225 wins. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will have nothing left to prove if he chooses to hang it up.
But if this is the end, he will be missed deeply by the Blue Jays and baseball as a whole. There aren't many like him left, so seeing him for another season won't hurt anyone's feelings.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.