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Amidst an injury-riddled season, Max Scherzer gave Blue Jays fans moments that will be remembered forever

Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Oct 17, 2026, 09:30 EDTUpdated: Oct 16, 2026, 20:23 EDT

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In a year that was so disappointing for the Toronto Blue Jays, the final day of the regular season brought joy for many fans as the club took down the Cincinnati Reds 5-1.

It was a meaningless game for both the Blue Jays and Reds, but for all who watched, it quickly became a special day for Max Scherzer, as he potentially put a bow on his Hall of Fame career.

How the year went

Signed by the Blue Jays to a one-year, $3-million contract in March, Scherzer’s role entering the 2026 season wasn’t defined as Toronto added to an already deep group. It wasn’t long before José Berríos, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber all were dealt with injuries in spring training, which allowed for Scherzer to open the season in the Blue Jays’ rotation.

In Scherzer’s first start of the season against the Colorado Rockies on March 31, the right-hander turned in a pitching line of 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, and picked up a win.

Unfortunately for Scherzer, the month of April took its toll on him. In his second start of the season, Scherzer departed with forearm tendinitis after two innings. While Scherzer was able to pitch regularly through the rest of the month, he finished April by going 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP.

After his outing on April 24 against the Cleveland Guardians, Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list three days later with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. Scherzer ended up staying on the IL until June 10, when he was activated for a start against the Philadelphia Phillies.

During that start, Scherzer became the 11th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 3,500 strikeouts, when he got Kyle Schwarber looking on an 85.5 MPH changeup. The rest of the outing didn’t go as planned as Scherzer was tagged for five earned runs across 3.1 innings and was charged with the loss in a 7-4 defeat.

Seven days later, Scherzer was placed on the 15-day IL once again, this time with back spasms. Scherzer remained on the IL until July 27 before returning for the remainder of the season.

August was Scherzer’s best month of the 2026 season, as over six starts, the 42-year-old went 1-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Scherzer limited opponents to a .186 average and went at least five innings in five of the six appearances, which was key in helping the Blue Jays survive with a rotation that consisted of two bullpen days out of the five rotation spots.

After pitching on September 23 against the Baltimore Orioles, Scherzer returned on three days’ rest to make that aforementioned start on the final day of the regular season. In that outing, Scherzer turned in a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, and brought Rogers Centre to life when he had one of his iconic meetings on the mound with manager John Schneider.

“He came out and the whole place was booing him. I’m like, man, ‘I want to stay in this game, too,’” Scherzer said. “I will admit the Rogers Centre booing definitely helped me want to stay in that game.”

For the season, Scherzer went 4-9 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP over 18 starts. Scherzer struck out 68 batters across 84.2 innings and was hit at a .240 clip. Following his 19th MLB season, Scherzer’s future remains uncertain, but that ultimately will be a decision that comes this winter.

“The only thing I’ll say about my future here is I’m going to make this decision about playing next year later in the off-season,” Scherzer said Saturday afternoon, sitting in front of the gathered media inside Toronto’s dugout. “I’ve talked to everybody in my inner circle, and we all kind of feel the same way — we don’t need to make a decision today.”

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