Brandon Valenzuela hammers one to deep centre, 2-0 Jays!
Instant Reaction: Max Scherzer dazzles as Blue Jays close out 2026 with victory
Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2026, 18:04 EDT
The 2026 season has come to a close for the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the regular season finale, the Blue Jays defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 to finish the 2026 campaign with a record of 79-83.
The story of the victory was the dominance of Max Scherzer. In what could be his final start as a Blue Jay and potentially the last outing of the 42-year-old’s illustrious career, Scherzer turned in a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K.
Scherzer dominated all afternoon and was eventually removed from the ballgame after issuing a leadoff walk to Oswaldo Cabrera to begin the top of the eighth. The future Hall of Famer walked off to a roaring ovation from the sellout Rogers Centre crowd after dazzling in the right-hander’s 501st career outing.
Signed by the Blue Jays to a one-year, $3-million contract in March, Scherzer wraps up the 2026 season with a 4-9 record, 5.74 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. Scherzer struck out 68 batters across 84.2 innings pitched to raise his career total 3,557, the ninth-most in MLB history and three behind Justin Verland for eighth place.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the second off Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson. After Williamson issued a leadoff walk to Davis Schneider, catcher Brandon Valenzuela slugged his ninth home run of the season to centre field on a 2-0 cutter.
After the Reds were able to cut the deficit in half on a Carlos Jorge RBI single in the top of the third, George Springer started what could be his final rally in a Blue Jays uniform. Springer opened the bottom of the third with a single and advanced to second base on a fielding error by left fielder JJ Bleday.
Upon reaching second base, Springer was lifted for pinch-runner Sean Keys, in what could close the book on Springer’s time in Toronto. Signed to a six-year, $150-million contract in January 2021, Springer appeared in 126 games this season and batted .249 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Both Brett Bateman and Kazuma Okamoto followed by reaching base to load the bases for Charles McAdoo. With nobody out, McAdoo lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Keys and make it a 3-1 game. After a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, Schneider brought home Bateman with an RBI groundout to make it 4-1.
From there, the game remained 4-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning, when McAdoo launched his third home run of the season. McAdoo jumped on a 1-0 fastball from reliever Carson Spiers and sent it 446 feet into the Flight Deck for the Blue Jays’ final home run of the season.
McAdoo closed out his rookie season by appearing in 36 games and batting .258 with 14 RBIs. The 24-year-old appeared at first base, second base, third base, and left field, and brings versatility to the Blue Jays’ roster heading into next season.
Mason Fluharty entered in the top of the eighth and worked a scoreless frame to wrap up his second season at the major-league level. Fluharty led the league by appearing in 83 games and went 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. The 25-year-old struck out 65 batters across 62.2 innings and held opponents to a .218 average.
With a four-run lead heading to the top of the ninth, the Blue Jays handed the ball to right-hander Paul Sewald. Sewald worked a scoreless ninth to lower his ERA to 0.63 over 17 games since being claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in August.
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