Blue Jays: Max Scherzer delivers when Toronto needed him most

He gave up two walks in the first inning when he lost the strike zone for a quick moment, but Scherzer was able to get Jorge Polanco to ground into a double play to get out of the jam. The second inning also started on the wrong foot, with Josh Naylor sending an outside changeup over the centre field wall for a solo shot to give the Mariners a quick 1-0 lead. It wasn’t necessarily a bad pitch from the veteran, but Naylor was able to reach out and give it a ride 394 feet to dead centre. Hat tip to the Canadian.

From there, Scherzer was pretty much in the driver’s seat. He retired the next three batters in order, and even after a walk kicked off the third inning, he was able to pick off Leo Rivas at first base and then finished the frame by striking out Cal Raleigh on four pitches, getting him to chase a low curveball. He collected two more strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth inning, putting another zero on the scoreboard, and then pitched another clean frame in the bottom of the fifth.

This is where fans got to see the real ‘Mad Max’, as with two outs in the inning and a runner on first, Schneider came out to check on his starter, and the very animated Scherzer used some strong language to support his case to stay on the mound, with Schneider giving him a tap on the chest to support the future Hall of Famer. Scherzer would reward him with striking out Randy Arozarena and an image that belongs in the ROM.

Schneider would reward the starter with another inning, and Scherzer would continue to shove, getting Raleigh to fly out to right field before striking out Julio Rodriguez. A walk to Polanco would be his final batter, and he left the game with three hits allowed, two earned runs (Mason Fluharty would allow the run to score), four walks, and five strikeouts to the tune of a 63.2% strike rate. Scherzer also produced 12 whiffs on the day and earned his eighth career postseason win.

Overall, the Jays needed Scherzer to produce a quality start, and you couldn’t ask for much more from the 41-year-old. He was left off the ALDS roster and hasn’t pitched since September 24th against the Boston Red Sox, where he allowed 10 hits and four earned runs in the eventual loss. September was a tough month for Scherzer, but the prolonged rest did wonders for the starter in his 31st postseason appearance, and the Blue Jays are now just two wins away from clinching a spot in the World Series.