Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer came up with a big performance for his team on Sunday, as it wrapped up a three-game series sweep of the Seattle Mariners to sit 1.5 games back of a wild-card playoff spot.Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
In a blast from the past, Max Scherzer served up his best performance as a Blue Jay, shutting out the Seattle Mariners on one hit over seven innings on Sunday in what became a 7-0 victory.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer struck out 10 batters to pass Gaylord Perry and move into ninth place on the all-time list with 3,535 over his 19-year career.
He struck out the side in the first and fourth innings and allowed only two runners – one on a walk to Taylor Ward and the other on a double by Cal Raleigh.
“It is the best that he has pitched for us for sure,” manager John Schneider said. “It was a remarkable performance today. He was dialed in from the very beginning.
“He is 42 and he was throwing 95 miles an hour. He prepares and he competes. It was like hopping in a time machine, to be honest with you.”
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Scherzer joined Toronto ahead of the 2025 season and re-signed with the club before the 2026 campaign. He has struggled with injuries this year and the win was only his second in nine decisions.
“We need wins right now,” Scherzer said. “We are in the thick of the of it in the playoff race. We have to win every day. This is what you play the game for. We are in a fight.”
The Blue Jays swept their three-game series against the Mariners and as of the game’s end were 1 1/2 games out of the final wildcard playoff berth. They got back to within two games of .500 for the first time since June 24.
Seattle had a terrible weekend in Toronto. The Mariners were outscored 19-4 and pretty much blew whatever slight chance they had at securing a playoff spot as they dropped to 64-73.
On Sunday they mustered just one hit and struck out 15 times.
In a rollercoaster ride of a season, the Blue Jays have come back from dead more often than Michael Myers in Halloween.
Scherzer thanks the crowd at Rogers Centre after striking out Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning on Sunday, en route to a 7-0 win.Cole Burston/Getty Images
They have now won 14 of their last 22 games, 20 of their last 32, and 22 of their last 36. They went 17-11 in August, easily their best month of the campaign.
Alejandro Kirk staked the Blue Jays to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when he smacked a 398-foot home run to left-centre field. They added another run on a double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the fifth inning and went ahead 4-0 in the sixth on a 405-foot homer to centre by Kazuma Okamoto. They added three more in the eighth on a two-run single by Andrés Giménez and a double by Brett Bateman.
The rookie centre-fielder lead off reached base three times with two walks and the double, also stole a base and laid down a sacrifice bunt to put Myles Straw in scoring position before Guerrero’s double.
“He’s prepared, he’s smart and he is humble,” Schneider said of Bateman. He’s an easy guy to like. He sets the tone and very quickly has become well liked by the guys and the fans.
“He’s a gamer.”
The home run by Kirk was his eighth of the year. For Okamoto it was sayonara for the 28th time, the most by a rookie in club history.
Toronto travelled to Cleveland after the game and begins a three-game series against the Guardians on Tuesday. After that the Blue Jays visit Kansas City and the Athletics each for three games.
The Blue Jays don’t return to Rogers Centre until Sept. 11 for the first of three contests with the Orioles. They have scuffled this season but by the end of that series will have surpassed the 3 million mark for home attendance this season.
“There is a lot to like about the way we are playing right now,” Schneider said. “The playoff spot is kind of right there in front of us. We are going to enjoy a day off and then keep our foot on the gas.”
Before Sunday’s contest I’m a Believer by The Monkees was blasting over the speakers inside the stadium. It seems hard to believe but the Blue Jays have crawled back into the race once again.