Which version of Max Scherzer will the Blue Jays get in Game 4 of the ALCS?
Posted October 16, 2025 8:31 am.
The Toronto Blue Jays will hand the ball to Max Scherzer on Thursday night in Seattle for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), a decision that carries both risk and intrigue as the veteran right-hander prepares for his first postseason start in a Blue Jays uniform.
Scherzer, 41, has built a Hall of Fame résumé across 17 big-league seasons, but his 2025 campaign in Toronto was anything but smooth. He finished the regular season with a 5-5 record, a 5.19 ERA, and 82 strikeouts over 85 innings. His performance fluctuated dramatically from month to month, leaving fans and pundits alike increasingly curious about which version of the three-time Cy Young Award winner will take the mound in Game 4.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the decision to start Scherzer in Game 4 was about leaning on experience.
“You want someone who’s been in these moments before,” Schneider noted earlier this week.
After losing games one and two at home, the Blue Jays responded in a significant way on Wednesday night, beating Seattle 13-4 and chasing starter George Kirby, who was tagged for eight earned runs. Andrés Giménez, George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger all went deep, with the Blue Jays finishing with 18 combined hits.
A season of highs and lows for Scherzer
Scherzer’s season began with promise but quickly turned uneven:
- April/May: Limited action as he worked back into form, showing flashes of his trademark strikeout stuff.
- June/July: A stretch of steadier outings, keeping his ERA in the mid-3s and giving Toronto quality innings. Scherzer was brilliant in a road start against Detroit on July 27, lasting seven innings and striking out 11.
- August: Mixed results, including a six-inning win over Minnesota but also a four-run outing against Milwaukee.
- September: His toughest month, posting a 10.20 ERA across four starts. That stretch included a disastrous Sept. 19 outing in Kansas City, where he recorded just two outs while allowing seven runs.
His final start of the regular season came on Sept. 24 against Boston, when he allowed four runs on 10 hits over five innings.
The Blue Jays opted to leave him and veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt off the ALDS roster against the Yankees and went with four left-handed pitchers to counter several lefty New York hitters. That strategy proved sound, as the Blue Jays won the ALDS with three traditional starters (Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber).
Scherzer’s playoff track record
Despite the rocky year, Scherzer’s postseason track record is extensive. Thursday’s outing will mark his 26th career playoff start and 31st appearance overall. He owns a 7-8 postseason record with a 3.78 ERA and 171 strikeouts across his October career. His résumé includes a World Series title with Washington in 2019, though he has not won a postseason start since that championship run.
Pitching with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, Scherzer appeared in four playoff games across the NL Wild Card series, NLDS and NLCS, striking out 23 batters across 16 2/3 innings, finishing with a sparkling 2.16 ERA.
The results have been more mixed in recent years, however. Scherzer started Game 1 of the NLWC as a member of the New York Mets in 2022 and was shelled for seven earned runs across 4 2/3 innings, allowing four home runs in the loss to San Diego.
With the Texas Rangers in 2023, the future Hall of Famer pitched in three postseason games (Game 3 of the ALCS, Game 7 of the ALCS and Game 3 of the World Series), finishing with a combined 6.52 ERA. He was effective in Game 3 of the World Series, though, going three shutout innings while allowing only two hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
What’s at stake
Toronto enters Game 4 in Seattle looking to even the series after dropping the first two games at home but bouncing back with a decisive Game 3 win. With the Mariners countering with Luis Castillo, who has yet to allow a run this postseason, the Blue Jays will need Scherzer to deliver more than just a veteran presence.
The Blue Jays still have their work cut out for them. Teams that go down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win just 14 of 52 times (26.9 per cent), and only four of those have been in an LCS. The 1996 Yankees are a recent example of a club that went down 0-2 before turning the tables and winning the World Series.
“We saw it over and over throughout this year, the number of times we responded in so many different ways,” Scherzer said Wednesday. “We had so many comeback wins. We’ve played great ball. Yes, we lost two games. Yes, obviously, these are must-win games. We all understand what’s at stake.
“I’ve talked about him preparing all year,” Schneider said Tuesday ahead of Game 3. “So I think keeping things normal for him. Going back to you want to see normalcy. So you trust that he’s going to be prepared and go out and give everything he has and hopefully rise to the occasion of a big moment. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. So you feel good about handing him the ball and watching him go to work.”
With files from Sportsnet
