Last night, I had the privilege of watching my favorite player ever show he still had greatness in his body at 41 years old. With the Blue Jays needing a win to tie the series in hostile territory, they
turned to Max Scherzer. As he did so many times for the Nationals, Mad Max delivered an iconic performance.
Going into the start, I was really worried for Max. He had a brutal finish to the regular season, with an ERA over 10 in September. After all the years of greatness, Max Scherzer, my favorite National of all time, looked like he had nothing more to give.
Most of the time, the storybook ending does not happen. Career’s end on a sad note, and I was worried that would happen with Max. I was praying that Scherzer would not look washed up and that Jays fans can see what Nats fans saw for all of those years. Thankfully, they did get to see Mad Max tonight, rather than a 41 year old man on his last legs.
Scherzer was always super amped up for playoff starts in DC, sometimes too amped up. We saw that in the first inning last night. He threw his hardest pitch since 2023, but his control was not there. Thankfully, he got a double play to get out of it.
I was more worried in that first inning than when he gave up a solo homer in the second. If you have watched Scherzer long enough, you would know that allowing solo homers is just something he does, even when he is pitching well. It was the one crack in his armor.
However, he would always bounce back and that is what he did last night. As the game went on, Scherzer got stronger. He started picking apart the Mariners lineup and looked like the Scherzer of old. His best pitch last night was actually his curveball, which is normally his 4th pitch.
It was a good Scherzer start through four innings, but in the 5th, we saw Mad Max. He was facing the bottom three hitters in the lineup for a second time. With the top of the order coming, Scherzer had a tight leash. After a leadoff single, Scherzer got two straight outs.
Then we saw magic happen. Blue Jays manager John Schneider got the full Mad Max experience when he came out to talk to him. With the top of the order coming up, Schneider went out to chat with Scherzer, but Max was having none of it. He shouted at his manager and told him to get back into the dugout. That moment made me feel like a kid again. Of course, Scherzer would strike out Randy Arozarena right after that to get out of the inning.
That competitive fire is what made me love Max Scherzer so much. When I pitched in high school, I wanted to be like Max. That was the kind of competitor I always wanted to be. Seeing him still have that fire after all those years was awesome.
Scherzer had a ton of moments like this in DC. However, this particular outburst reminded me of the one he had in 2019 during the regular season against the Reds. Scherzer saw red the second he saw Davey Martinez come out of the dugout just like he did tonight. Stuff like that is why I love Scherzer so much.
If the Blue Jays end up going to the World Series, their fans will remember that moment for years to come. Seeing their fans fall in love with Max warms my heart. It was also cool to see John Schneider talk about it after the game. He clearly loved the moment and seemed honored to be berated by a legend.
However, that moment was not the end of Scherzer’s night. He talked his way into coming out for the 6th inning. After retiring Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners two best hitters, he walked Jorge Polanco. Josh Naylor, who gave Scherzer fits was coming up and the future Hall of Famer was taken out. Reliever Mason Fluharty allowed that runner to score, which hurt Scherzer’s final line and made me upset.
However, the Blue Jays had a comfortable lead at that point, so Scherzer’s win was safe. This was actually Scherzer’s first playoff win since Game 1 of the 2019 World Series, which surprised me. His heroics, combined with the Jays offense tied up the series.
At this point, Scherzer has reached living legend status. He is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, hopefully wearing a Nationals cap into Cooperstown. Scherzer has nothing to prove, yet pitched like his life depended on it last night. That is just the kind of competitor Mad Max is, even at 41.
It was awesome to see my favorite player get his flowers. He reminded everyone how great he is. That moment with Schneider was also so memorable. The internet had a field day with it and made some very funny posts.
Last night, I was hoping to see Mad Max one more time and he delivered like he almost always does. If Scherzer does not retire, I would love to see him for one last season in DC. He would be such a great mentor to a young roster and would get the fans excited.
Scherzer is the best National of all time. Watching him perform last night was so much fun, but also made me miss the good old days. I love Max Scherzer and will root for him wherever he goes. Hopefully, we can see him take the field in DC again next season. Even at 41 years old, Max Scherzer is a legendary pitcher.
