TORONTO – Roughly 40 minutes before Justin Verlander took the mound at Comerica Park for his 557th and final major-league start, Max Scherzer sat in the dugout at Rogers Centre and contemplated the potential end of his own MLB career.
A crowd of reporters and cameras surrounded Scherzer as he settled in, dressed casually in sneakers and team-issued workout gear. A brief silence ensued and before anyone could fill it with questions, Scherzer started speaking.
“Ok,” he began. “I guess I can start off.”
Anticipating the questions about his own future, Scherzer addressed the topic immediately.
“The only thing I'll say about my future here is I'm going to make this decision about playing next year later in the off-season.”
Instead of rushing to a decision now, Scherzer wants to enjoy his final start of the season, an assignment against the Cincinnati Reds on three days’ rest that could be his last appearance with the Toronto Blue Jays, whether or not he continues his big-league career. His four kids will be on hand in Toronto to witness their dad pitch Game 162 as the Blue Jays’ 2026 season comes to an end.
Hopefully for Scherzer and the Blue Jays, it’ll be more memorable than Game 161, a one-sided contest that Cincinnati won 5-1. Trey Yesavage struck out three over two innings of work and John Klein made his Blue Jays debut, but, true to form, the offence underwhelmed, leading to some boos for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Klein was the 64th player used by the Blue Jays this season, setting a new franchise record – one that doesn’t get broken without many injuries.
“It means we’ve had a lot,” said manager John Schneider. “We’ve definitely had to cover some injuries and it’s been challenging at times.”
Whether or not this is the end for Scherzer, Schneider said he’s considering ways of honouring both the 42-year-old pitcher and 37-year-old George Springer, who may bat leadoff again for the final game of his six-year contract.
"That part of it is cool in an otherwise disappointing season,” Schneider said. “If this is the end, hopefully it’s a good sendoff.”
The labour uncertainty surrounding MLB also contributed to Scherzer’s decision to give himself time before making a final call. Most in the sport are expecting a lockout to impact the 2027 season and under those circumstances it’s even harder to predict what kind of free-agent interest Scherzer might generate, and when.
Eventually, Scherzer likes the idea of coaching baseball at the amateur level since “it seems like kids’ sports are all messed up.” He also has his "hands in some other projects off the field that maybe I'll get into later, not here."
Already, his time in Toronto has included some career highlights – which is saying something when talking about a pitcher of Scherzer’s stature.
“Game 7 of the World Series, there's just nothing better than that,” Scherzer said. “That’s baseball’s pinnacle. So to have that ball in that situation … the way we played. That's just a lifelong memory. That's a baseball memory.”
Next up, there's Sunday – a chance to enjoy where he is right now. As Scherzer looked forward to the moment on Saturday, he laughed at times and spoke energetically. His trademark intensity wasn’t gone by any stretch, but it seemed to be dialled down.
“It’s been kind of freeing, actually,” he said, smiling. “I just want to go out there and pitch tomorrow, knowing that, hey, you never know. It could be my last.”
While the Blue Jays lost in front of another sellout crowd Saturday, the more interesting game happened 360 kilometres away down the 401 in Detroit.
Pitching as a Tiger in Detroit for the first time since 2017, Verlander helped guide the Tigers to a win. He allowed just two runs over 5.1 innings, touching 95 m.p.h. on the radar gun before leaving to a standing ovation with some help from his daughter.
And, of note for anyone who enjoys following baseball history, the 43-year-old Verlander struck out six, putting him 10 ahead of Scherzer on the all-time MLB strikeout list.
Speaking before Verlander’s appearance, Scherzer said others are making more out of the strikeout leaderboard than he is. Yes, he and Verlander have been linked for years. Not only were they teammates with the Tigers and Mets, they’ve each won more than 200 games, struck out more than 3,000 hitters, authored multiple no-hitters, won three Cy Young Awards and celebrated two World Series.
Along with Clayton Kershaw, they’ve defined starting pitching excellence for a generation. They’ve been close friends at times and seemingly somewhat distant at other times. But Scherzer said he’d been texting Verlander encouragement ahead of his final start.
Meanwhile, some in the Blue Jays clubhouse are eagerly anticipating Scherzer’s final start of the season.
“He’s one of the best to ever do it,” Yesavage said.
Asked whether he’s worried about the all-time strikeout list, Scherzer said he hopes Verlander has a great game.
“It's funny how that's unfolding,” he said. “Here we are all these years later and we're neck and neck in that regard. So I hope he goes out there and strikes out the world today.”
Six Verlander strikeouts later, Scherzer will need ten to catch his longtime teammate. Either that or another year in the big-leagues.
“Strikeouts are awesome,” he said. “It's fun to be on the mound and make a major hitter strike out. It's a good feeling. You're kind of addicted, actually. You want to be out there and keep striking everybody out.”
Sunday, he’ll attempt to do just that at least one more time.
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