Series Recap: Blue Jays finish the 2026 season on a positive note
Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 29, 2026, 07:29 EDT
That’s it for Toronto Blue Jays baseball for at least six months.
The 2026 season was a dismal one for the Blue Jays, but at least the final game had meaning. While it wasn’t important in terms of standings, there’s a very real chance that Sunday afternoon’s game was Max Scherzer and George Springer’s final game of their careers. This also happens to be the final series recap for the season.
Friday’s win was in comeback fashion. Taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, the Cincinnati Reds cut the lead in half in the top of the second, then took a 5-2 lead with a four-run top of the third. The score stood that way until the Blue Jays had a four-run inning of their own, as Kazuma Okamoto hit his second run-scoring double of the game to tie it. Nathan Lukes then hit an RBI single for the 6-5 lead.
Thankfully, the ended that way thanks to a strong game from the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Brendan Cellucci continued to pitch well, Chad Dallas struck out three in an inning and a third. Mason Fluharty picked up the win, Tyler Rogers the hold, and Louis Varland the save.
It was another tough outing for José Soriano, as he gave up five earned runs over three innings of work. There’ll be tweaks that’ll need to be made this off-season, but the stuff is there.
Saturday’s game didn’t go nearly as well. In the top of the second, JJ Bleday hit a solo home run off Trey Yesavage, the starting pitcher’s lone blemish in the two innings he pitched. The Reds scored twice in the third, then two more in the fifth. In the bottom of the seventh, the Jays got one back, but their defence was far too sloppy to even be competitive in this game.
There wasn’t a dry eye at the Rogers Centre in Sunday’s season (and series) finale. The game itself was a 5-1 win, but that didn’t matter in the grand scope of things. What did matter was the celebration of Springer and Scherzer, two veterans who could have been playing their final game.
Springer had two at-bats, striking out in the first one, then hitting a double. At that point, John Schneider pulled the designated hitter from the game, with fans at the stadium giving him one last standing ovation.
Scherzer stayed in the game far longer. The first ballot Hall of Famer had a vintage game, striking out seven over seven + innings of one-run ball. Overall, the 42-year-old threw 114 pitches, receiving a massive standing ovation when he was eventually pulled. Who would’ve guessed that with the team out of contention, the best moment came in Game 162.
As for the game itself, the Jays took a 2-0 lead in the second, the Reds cut it in half their next time they hit, but the Jays scored two more runs in the third. The first two runs came courtesy of Brandon Valenzuela’s ninth home run of the season, with Charles McAdoo hitting on as well in the eighth to make it 5-1.
Next up for the Blue Jays is the off-season. It’s going to be a busy one for the Blue Jays, who have to address multiple positions before the start of next season, if the next season even happens. We’ll see what happens over the winter!
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
Breaking News
- Series Recap: Blue Jays finish the 2026 season on a positive note
- Can the 2027 Blue Jays be competitive with what they already have?
- Former Blue Jays to watch throughout the 2026 Wild Card series
- George Springer’s contract was a turning point for the Blue Jays
- Blue Jays 2026 end of season Prospect Countdown: No. 18 Jake Bloss