Max Scherzer Drops Blunt Quote After Blue Jays Are Eliminated From Playoff Contention
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The Toronto Blue Jays got a taste of playoff baseball last October. They advanced to Game 7 of the World Series, but fell at home in extra innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers. What made it more painful was that they were 90 feet away in the ninth inning from winning the World Series.
Instead, they suffered extra-inning heartbreak and had a whole offseason to think about what could have been. The Blue Jays entered spring training intending to get back to the playoffs and finish the job in late October. However, in what began as a season with high expectations, the team will fall well short after being swept in Baltimore and officially eliminated from the third and final American League wild-card spot.
As you can expect, frustration will be felt throughout the organization. One player who came back was Max Scherzer and after Toronto was officially eliminated on Wednesday, the veteran right-hander didn't mince words about the Blue Jays falling short of their goal.
Max Scherzer Drops Truth Bomb After Loss To Orioles
The fact that Toronto was still within striking distance of a playoff berth speaks to how weak the American League is this season and it also signals a frustrating ending after the 27th out was recorded on Sunday at home in game No. 162 against the Cincinnati Reds. Scherzer didn't mince words on Wednesday about the Blue Jays falling short of a berth in October baseball.
“We showed last year we can play all the way into the World Series. This year, we’re not going to the playoffs. We didn’t accomplish our goals,” Scherzer said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “It’s frustrating. Whatever words you want to say are fair to say.”
He's not wrong. However, injuries have played a big role in the season, as have underperforming stars. Scherzer came back and signed a one-year deal with Toronto because he thought they had the talent and drive to get back to playoff baseball and finish the job. They're not going to get that chance.
“When you have expectations to go back [to the World Series] and finish the job, it feels good to have support from the fans to go out and try to do that,” manager John Schneider said per Matheson, “But it’s frustrating that we didn’t fulfill our end of it.”
They didn't and now they are facing another long and cold offseason in Toronto after Sunday's season finale. What could make it even longer is that there is a strong possibility of a work stoppage, which could put at least the beginning of the 2027 season in doubt.
When the season ends and it's time to decide about the future, there are going to be some rather interesting decisions coming. Every baseball team deals with injuries and losing streaks during a 162-game season, but each team is different in terms of getting through it.
Toronto didn't and now they'll be sitting at home watching the playoffs instead of being part of the field. That should sting more than coming up short in the World Series and Scherzer spoke for a number of teammates on Wednesday.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.