Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer may have made his final MLB start in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ season finale on Sunday. The legendary right-hander threw an absolute gem for the Blue Jays, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over seven innings en route to earning the win against the Cincinnati Reds at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider walked out to the mound and appeared on the verge of taking Scherzer out of the game. In classic Scherzer fashion, the right-hander made it clear he wasn’t leaving the game, prompting Schneider to head back to Toronto’s dugout.
Scherzer got the final out of the seventh inning by getting Will Banfield to pop out to second baseman Ernie Clement. Scherzer went back out for the eighth inning, and walked the first batter he faced. Schneider then pulled Scherzer, who left to a standing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd. He threw 114 pitches.
Dylan Cease Makes Max Scherzer Statement After Reds Game
After Sunday’s game, Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease made a statement on Scherzer.
“[Scherzer] comes from an, I don’t want to say extreme, but even look at the results he’s accomplished in his career, they are extreme, because that is his intensity, that’s his energy,” Cease said (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi).
Looking at Max Scherzer’s Legendary Career
Scherzer, 42, will undoubtedly be inducted into Cooperstown one day. Throughout his career, Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards, made eight All-Star teams. and won two World Series.
The right-hander has posted 75.3 bWAR and a 3.29 ERA over his 19 MLB seasons. He has 3,557 career strikeouts, which ranks ninth all-time. He has just three fewer strikeouts than former teammate Justin Verlander, who made his final career start with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Scherzer with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2008.
The Diamondbacks traded Scherzer to the Detroit Tigers after the 2009 season. He became a star with Detroit, posting a 3.52 ERA with 1,081 strikeouts over five seasons with the club.
Scherzer had the most success of his career with the Washington Nationals. He posted 39.1 bWAR and a 2.80 ERA with 1,610 strikeouts over seven seasons (2015-21) with the Nationals. He won his first career World Series with the Nationals in 2019.
After his time with Washington, Scherzer pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Blue Jays. He won his second World Series with the Rangers in 2023. He nearly earned a third ring with the Blue Jays in 2025.
Throughout his postseason career, Scherzer recorded a 3.78 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 157 1/3 innings.
Scherzer hasn’t officially announced his retirement yet. He proved on Sunday that he can still pitch at an elite level when he’s at his best, so he might want to return next year. However, it sure seems like he’s planning to hang up the cleats for good, given the way he left Sunday’s game.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease Makes Max Scherzer Statement