With the Blue Jays out of playoff contention in MLB's final day of the regular season, Sunday's Reds-Blue Jays game was all about Max Scherzer. And the 42-year-old really did not want to come out of the game.
Scherzer told reporters this weekend that he was going to wait until the offseason to decide about returning for a 20th MLB season. But no matter what, there was a real possibility that Sunday was the last time Scherzer would take the mound in an MLB game.
That was clear when Blue Jays manager John Schneider tried to pull Scherzer in the 7th inning with the future Hall of Famer at 104 pitches. It was a quick conversation, but Scherzer was not leaving the game to the delight of the Jays dugout and Rogers Centre crowd.
Max Scherzer was NOT coming
out of this game! 😤 pic.twitter.com/W1rLRiP3S5
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2026
Scherzer was able to finish off that seventh inning, and he did come out to pitch the eighth. But after a lead-off walk, he finally gave Schneider permission to take him out at 114 pitches. He left to a standing ovation.
Max Scherzer leaves the mound to a standing ovation for what could be the final time in his legendary career 👏 pic.twitter.com/JhkKYe1lRc
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2026
If that's it for Scherzer, what a career he had.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Max Scherzer amazingly refused John Schneider's attempt to pull him from possible last game
