Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Game 3 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Monday.Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
“Mad” Max Scherzer has been here before. He’s pitched on the game’s biggest stage with everything on the line. He’ll do it again Saturday when he gets the start in the seventh and deciding game of the World Series.
“No better guy to have on the mound to navigate the emotions,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Max has been getting ready for Game 7 when he knew he was pitching Game 3. So all the confidence in the world in him.”
Scherzer, 41, is no stranger to big moments. He pitched the deciding game of the 2019 World Series, recording a no decision in the Washington Nationals’ win over the Houston Astros. For his career, he has made five career World Series starts.
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Scherzer has started twice in these playoffs since being left off the roster in the American League Division Series against the Yankees.
He pitched against the Mariners in the second round, recording a win, and in Game 3 of the World Series. He threw 4 1/3 innings in the Blue Jays’ loss on Oct. 27. He has allowed five earned runs over 10 innings in the playoffs.
Schneider said having Scherzer lined up for Game 7 has been the plan all along.
“We talked about it before the series,” he said. “Once he was Game 3, he knew he was Game 7.”
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer walks back to the dugout after being removed from the game during the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series on Monday.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
It’s unclear who will be pitching opposite of the Blue Jays right-hander. Tyler Glasnow was the presumed choice until he was called into duty late in Game 6 when Dodgers closer Roki Sasaki got into trouble.
Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager, said after Friday’s freaky finish that he hadn’t decided who will get the ball for LA. All he would say is that Glasnow could still be an option. As could, well, everyone else.
“Glasnow is a possibility to pitch tomorrow,” Roberts said. “They’re all possibilities.”
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Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who would have to be called on on short rest?
“It’s a possibility,” Roberts said.
Glasnow had been nearly unhittable in these playoffs until he faced Toronto in Game 3. He lasted only 4 2/3 innings in what became an 18-inning marathon that ended in a Dodgers win after a Freddie Freeman walk-off home run.
He’s allowed three earned runs over 19 innings in the playoffs, and got the Dodgers out of a tight spot late Friday.
Ohtani, on the other hand, would be pitching on four days of rest. He last pitched in Game 4, where he was saddled with a loss after allowing four earned runs in six innings.
The Blue Jays are in a similar situation. After Scherzer, Schneider said, pretty much everyone is available to pitch, including Gausman, Game 6’s starter.
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer stretches out his arm during practice ahead of Game 6 of the World Series.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
A two-time World Series champion, Scherzer’s intensity has become the stuff of legend across baseball, earning him the nickname Mad Max.
His strict game-day routine prohibits anyone, teammates included, from talking to him once his headphones go in. That rule carries over into the game, apparently.
One Blue Jays player didn’t get the memo and learned a lesson when he broke one of Scherzer’s rules.
“I went to talk to him, and he walked right past me,” Blue Jays infielder Ty France told the MLB Network. “He walked right past me, so I patted him on the butt, and he had some choice words for me.”
Scherzer also had choice words for his manager earlier these playoffs as well. During the AL Championship Series against the Mariners, Scherzer was in control, but after giving up a single to start the fifth inning, Schneider paid him a mound visit. Thinking he was about to get the hook, Scherzer screamed at his coach that he had more gas in the tank, and he remained in the game. Cameras also caught him running into Blue Jays pitcher coach Peter Walker as he came off the field and into the dugout.
“He’s not afraid to push the envelope,” Schneider said.