Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in Game 4 of the ALCS, on Oct. 16, in Seattle.Abbie Parr/The Associated Press
Max Scherzer took a dip in the fountain of youth in his only start of the 2025 postseason. The Toronto Blue Jays will need him to take a full plunge to get their World Series back on track against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer, at 41 years old, has thrown 2,963 career regular season innings and will make his fourth career World Series start in Game 3 in Los Angeles on Monday. It will be his 32nd playoff appearance on the mound dating all the way back to 2011. This time it’ll be against his former team.
Scherzer suited up for the Dodgers for part of the 2021 season. That team included current star shortstop Mookie Betts, third baseman Max Muncy and catcher Will Smith.
“It’s the ultimate chess game,” Scherzer said. “They’re making moves. I’m making moves. That’s just baseball. But it’s been like that for years for me now. I understand how everybody wants to attack me, how I want to attack them.”
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Scherzer, a two-time World Series champion and a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is famous for his intense preparation and comportment, earning the nickname Mad Max. That persona was on display during his crucial start in the ALCS in Game 4 against the Mariners, his first game of the postseason after being left off the Jays’ ALDS roster.
He pitched 5 2/3 innings that night, allowing three hits and two earned runs on the way to an 8-2 Jays victory. That performance helped Toronto bring the series back to an even 2-2 split, and they went on to win it in seven games.
It also included a made-for-TV moment when Blue Jays manager John Schneider came out for a mound visit in the fifth. Getting ahead of the prospect of being lifted from the game, a visibly amped up Scherzer screamed at Schneider that he was still good to go. Schneider quickly retreated to the dugout and Scherzer stayed in the game.
“I’m going to try to avoid any mound visits with Max,” Schneider said Sunday.
Scherzer speaks during the World Series baseball media day on Oct. 23 in Toronto.Brynn Anderson/The Associated Press
Schneider said Saturday that he was trying to relax following the Blue Jays’ Game 7 ALCS triumph, only to be confronted by Scherzer, who wanted to know when he was pitching next.
“He was asking what we were doing after Game 7, and I was like, ‘Max, I’m enjoying a beer, man,’” he said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who managed Scherzer during his stint in LA, said there is no one like him.
“Max. He’s one-of-one,” Roberts said over the weekend. “Great competitor. Don’t want to touch him during outings, don’t want to pat him on the backside. Wants to be the guy.”
In the Dodgers, Scherzer will face a power-hitting lineup known for the long ball. L.A. topped the National League in home runs (244) and slugging percentage (.455) this season, and were second in the Majors in both categories only to the New York Yankees.
That might not make for the greatest matchup for Scherzer, whose homeruns-per-nine innings (2.01) over 17 regular season starts in 2025 were at a career-high, as was his flyball rate (53.8). And pitching at Dodger Stadium, once considered pitcher-friendly, but has since turned into a hotbed for homers, may not play well with his recent tendencies.
Blue Jays hitters, meanwhile, will have their hands full with Tyler Glasnow, who has been lights out to this stage in the playoffs. The No. 3 starter in the Dodgers rotation has allowed one run over two starts (three appearances).
“He’s got an elite fastball,” said Blue Jays infielder Andrés Giménez.
A game after they were limited to four hits and one run against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Blue Jays need a bounce back offensive performance, ideally, for them, something resembling their Game 1 output.