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Inside Max Scherzer’s final Blue Jays start, reaction to viral seventh-inning exchange with John Schneider
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Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Thomas Hall
Sep 28, 2026, 13:15 EDTUpdated: Sep 28, 2026, 13:26 EDT
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TORONTO — In true Max Scherzer fashion, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer left it all out on the field on the regular season’s final day Sunday. He left nothing to be desired, as only he can.
For context, Scherzer wasn’t guaranteed to make this start for the Blue Jays on Game 162. Last week’s postponement in Baltimore meant if he were to pitch during the club’s 2026 season finale, it’d be on three days’ rest. However, he didn’t view that as an immovable obstacle, but rather a new challenge he’d need to prepare for — and oh boy, did he ever nail his preparation.
To ensure his body, which endured a handful of ailments this past season (thumb, forearm, ankle, back), would be ready for such a rare feat under the sport’s current era, Scherzer skipped his typical in-between-starts bullpen session. He also skipped his usual upper-body weight-lifting session. One of baseball’s most extreme creatures of habit wasn’t taking any chances here.
“I gave myself the maximum chance to be able to be the best today I can possibly be,” Scherzer said.
Despite applying those precautions, Scherzer and the Blue Jays’ brass went into Sunday’s affair without a set plan. They threw the game script out the window. Manager John Schneider, in essence, acted more like a film director than a baseball manager as he attempted to thread this difficult and moving needle.
Here’s what Toronto’s skipper said pre-game about the situation surrounding Scherzer’s potential final career start:
“We’ll see. He said he feels good. Kind of see how the game goes,” Schneider said in his office. “[I’ll] talk to him in between innings, and see how much he can give us… Hopefully, it’s a little bit, and we’re not scrambling. But I think he’ll be all right.”
Later asked if he plans to keep Scherzer in until his arm falls off or he strikes out 11 batters — putting him one ahead of Justin Verlander on baseball’s all-time strikeout list — the Blue Jays manager dismissed both of those scenarios, adding, “Wherever he ends up. He ends up.”
When the dust settled, the three-time Cy Young winner ended up delivering a sensational performance, tossing seven-plus innings of one-run ball with seven punchouts — now 3,557 in his career, sitting three back of tying Verlander — on a season-high 114 pitches. It was one of this organization’s best highlights of a disappointing season.
“That was amazing,” said Scherzer, who joked maybe he would’ve been better off this whole time without throwing any bullpen sessions between starts. “The adrenaline started kicking in, the fans started getting into it, and that’s when I could start feeding off of the crowd here at the Rogers Centre. I could just reach back and it felt like I was unlimited.”
The packed house of over 42,000 fans played a huge role in keeping the adrenaline pumping through Scherzer’s veins, as the veteran right-hander admitted. Facing the minimum across four of the first six innings helped, too, allowing him to work out of the windup and stay strong in his lower half for most of the outing.
Even so, Scherzer knew that Schneider wanted to come take the ball in the middle of an inning. That was the plan all along. But they didn’t know when that moment would arise. So, when Toronto’s skipper rose from the top step of the dugout with two outs in the top of the seventh, it became Scherzer’s call whether to stay in or depart to a roaring ovation.
Instead, as an overwhelming wave of boos rained down, Mad Max fed off those emotions and decided to finish the inning. It felt like last fall’s ALCS in Seattle all over again. But to ensure Scherzer could be recognized mid-inning, Schneider reminded him that he’d need to begin the eighth, too.
“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.”
So, that’s just what he did. Scherzer retired Reds catcher Will Banfield, bringing his pitch count to 109 through seven innings. As he walked down the steps of Toronto’s dugout, he looked at Schneider and said, “I’m good until someone gets on base,” which was a no-brainer at that point. Nevertheless, all Schneider could do was chuckle at that reaction.
As the baseball gods would have it, Oswaldo Cabrera worked a five-pitch leadoff walk to begin the eighth, prompting another stroll to the mound from Schneider. This time, he motioned to the bullpen, but only using his pinky finger. He called it the “weakest call” he’s ever made. It was a necessary one, though.
Scherzer deserved to be celebrated by everyone one last time, especially if this was the final start of his legendary career — he hasn’t announced his plans for 2027 yet. After Scherzer handed the ball to Schneider, he offered an emotional parting message for his Father Time-defying pitcher.
“Thank you for letting me be part of your unbelievable career,” the Blue Jays skipper said. “I wouldn’t want any other 42-year-old psychopath on my team other than you.”
To watch Scherzer craft his latest masterpiece, on short rest, at 42, on the last day of the season, was a spectacle to behold for everyone.
“Probably 20 years from now, you’ll look back at this game, regardless of the standings or playoff picture, at a 42-year-old Hall of Famer pitching on three days’ rest, throwing 114 pitches in the last game of the year. So if that doesn’t sum up Max Scherzer, I don’t know what does.”
Not only for Blue Jays and baseball fans, but for every one of Scherzer’s teammates, too. It was a remember-where-you-were type of performance, and the already well-decorated hurler has certainly enjoyed his fair share of those over the last 19 seasons.
“He honestly fired us all up, and we had goosebumps in the bullpen,” rookie and Rule 5 selection Spencer Miles said.
For years, George Springer — who also received an emotional farewell Sunday — competed against Scherzer, most notably during the 2019 World Series between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. Over the past two seasons, though, they’ve become more than teammates. They’ve formed an even stronger appreciation for each other’s careers.
Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
That made their heartfelt embrace in the dugout after Scherzer departed so much more meaningful. That’s a moment neither will ever forget. If both walk off into the sunset this off-season, it’ll serve as an excellent snapshot of the blood, sweat and tears they’ve given this sport — and the admiration they share for each other.
“It’s special in so many ways,” Springer said of his relationship with Scherzer. “It feels like he’s been here forever. He means so much to us in the clubhouse. Means so much to us off the field. For him to go out there and do what he did today, and just to see him finally actually smile on a day he pitched was awesome.”
“We really care about each other,” said Scherzer. “To be able to get a moment with him, that was cool.”
Scherzer’s appreciation for the two seasons he’s spent in Toronto will never waver, either. Signing here in early 2025, he didn’t quite know what to expect. As much as guys like Chris Bassitt offered him a rundown of all the reasons this is a fantastic market to play in, he needed to experience it himself.
Now that he has, it’ll forever hold a special place in his heart. Making it to Game 7 of the World Series last November will live on as one of his “core baseball memories.”
“Being a Blue Jay here, it’s been great. I’ve had so much fun,” Scherzer said. “I tell everybody across the league how much this is a hidden gem playing for the Blue Jays, and you don’t know until you experience it.”

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