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Instant Reaction: Max Scherzer pitches five scoreless innings in Blue Jays’ 2-1 victory over Twins
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Photo credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 20, 2026, 16:15 EDTUpdated: Mar 20, 2026, 16:18 EDT
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The real deal begins in less than a week.
Still, there are tune up games to be had, and on Friday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays took on the Minnesota Twins. They came out on top thanks to a great pitching performance, defeating the Twins 2-1 to move their Spring Training record to 11-13-2. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!
With former Blue Jay Simeon Woods Richardson on the mound for the Twins, the Jays were able to load the bases in the top of the first thanks to a pair of singles and an error. However, a force out and a double play ended their chance to take the lead.
The Jays got on the board in the top of the second, though, Sean Keys drew a walk, and with two outs, Josh Kasevich hit his third double of Spring Training to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until the top of the fifth.
Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to put a runner on, then Jesús Sánchez hit a single to put a second runner on. It looked as if a run would score when Davis Schneider hit a bloop single into left field, but a nice relay to the plate got  Lukes out at the plate. Next up was Tyler Heineman, who singled in Sánchez for a 2-0 lead.
The score stood that way until the bottom of the ninth, when the Twins received a lead-off double from Noah Cardenas. They got the next two outs, but he was driven in by Jayson Bass, who ended up on second. That’s as far as the Twin got, as he was picked off to end the game, with the Jays winning 2-1.

Takeaways…

Simply put, Max Scherzer looks terrific. The 41-year-old pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, two walks, and striking out three. Scherzer has now pitched 13 and two-thirds innings, holding opponents to a .091 batting average and not allowing a run.
The Jays’ bullpen pitched well enough for the win as well. Lefty Joe Mantiply was the first out of the pen, going one scoreless inning with a hit allowed and a strikeout. Chase Lee pitched an inning and two-thirds of scoreless baseball, with the lone blemish being a hit. Lázaro Estrada picked up the save, going one and one-third innings with the lone earned run being tagged to the Cuban righty.
On the hitting side of things, the Jays totalled 10 hits. Two of them belonged to Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider, while Josh Kasevich hit two doubles, including one that scored a run. Arjun Nimmala hit his second double of Spring Training, but also committed his third error. Tyler Heineman, Jesús Sánchez, and Myles Straw all hit singles.
The Jays still have a chance to finish Spring Training with a .500 mark, as they have just two games left. First up is a matchup against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday at 1:05 PM ET. Kevin Gausman is expected to make his third and final start of Spring Training.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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