Toronto – In a move that stunned the baseball world, the Toronto Blue Jays have officially confirmed that Max Scherzer, 41, will be the starter in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Seattle Mariners. This will be Scherzer’s first postseason appearance since 2023, when he played for the Texas Rangers and won the World Series.
And now — with the team down 1-2 in the series and on the brink of elimination — the Blue Jays are putting all their faith in a veteran who has spent more than two decades in the game.
No one saw this coming. Scherzer has been limited to limited appearances this season due to a shoulder injury and a lengthy recovery schedule, leaving him as a “backup weapon” in case of an emergency. But after a bitter loss in Game 3 – where Toronto’s rotation collapsed and the bullpen was exhausted – manager John Schneider declared:
“If you want to survive in October, you have to bet your best.”
Scherzer, with three Cy Young titles, 3,367 strikeouts, and a World Series ring in 2019 with the Nationals, is still a name that can strike fear into any opponent. But will his athleticism and sharpness – after nearly two years without throwing an inning postseason – be enough to save the lost Blue Jays?
Scherzer’s presence could be the strongest morale booster for Toronto right now. When he stepped onto the mound this morning, he was greeted by his teammates as a hero returning to the battlefield. In a brief press conference, Scherzer said with his trademark raucous laugh:
“I’ve been in a lot of these battles. When you think you’re out of luck, that’s when you need to fight the most.”
Inside sources say Scherzer threw four simulated innings over the weekend, averaging a 94 mph fastball, and his slider still has spin close to his peak. The Blue Jays believe that if he can hold out for the first 4-5 innings, the bullpen can lock down the rest.
The Blue Jays are down 1-2 in the series, and Game 4 at T-Mobile Park is considered a “go-to game.” They must win to send the series back to Toronto, or else all the hard work they’ve done all season—from their late-September surge to their miracle run of knocking out the Yankees—will be lost.
Former MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said after practice:
“When I knew Scherzer was going to pitch, it gave me goosebumps. He’s the epitome of what we’re trying to be—not giving up when we’re done.”
Meanwhile, the Mariners will field George Kirby, a 27-year-old pitcher with a 2.93 ERA in the regular season, pitting two generations against each other—an icon of the past and a star of the future.
Scherzer was once known as “the ageless warrior,” throwing seven innings despite a broken vertebra in 2019. But since then, his body has not been the same: in 2024, he had only 11 starts, a 4.58 ERA, and once publicly admitted that “every game now is like climbing a mountain with a weight on his shoulders.”
Still, the Blue Jays picked him—not just for the numbers, but for the spirit.
“It’s not just a game, it’s a legacy,” Coach Schneider said. “If anyone can turn history around, it’s Max.”
Game 4 will begin at 8:07 PM ET, with the atmosphere in Seattle suffocating. With Scherzer back, the Rogers Centre crowd will be watching every pitch as if witnessing the legend write the final chapter of his career.
Will this be a miraculous revival for a 41-year-old warrior, or a tragic end to the final journey of “Mad Max”?
The answer – will be decided tonight.
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