At age 41, is Max Scherzer as ready as any Blue Jays starter?

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Like NHL great Alex Ovechkin, pitcher who also starred in Washington seems ageless

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Published Mar 15, 2026 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read

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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer walks to the dugout during the first inning in Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. Photo by Ashley Landis /THE ASSOCIATED PRESSArticle content

DUNEDIN — He is 41 going on 20, it seems, which is why Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer has a kinship with Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, who is a youthful 40 and still going strong in the NHL.

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Great respects great and the two hyper-successful athletes bonded when they were winning championships in Washington — Scherzer a huge part of the 2019 World Series win and Ovechkin captaining the Caps to a Stanley Cup title in 2018.

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In those heady days of D.C. sports, the two shared in puck drops, opening pitches and even a pizza commercial.

“We had some special moments together,” Scherzer said of that relationship. “Them being able to win the (Stanley) Cup and being right there and having them bring the Cup into our clubhouse, that’s something you never forget.

“Same thing with us. When we won (the World Series) trophy, we took it into their (dressing room) and celebrated with them.”

Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (right) shares a laugh with Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer after throwing out two ceremonial first pitches before a game between the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park, Saturday, June 9, 2018, in Washington. Alex Brandon/The Associated Press

The relationship went further than that. Ovechkin threw out the first pitch at a Nats game (not too well) with Scherzer catching. And the pitcher did a ceremonial face-off at a Caps game — with Ovechkin at centre — dropping a baseball instead of a puck.

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“I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s done in his career and the competitor he is and still obviously playing really good hockey at his age,” Scherzer said. “It’s fun to see him doing his thing, and that’s why I’d love to go see him play (in Toronto in early April).”

So what does this have to do with the now of Blue Jays camp and the ongoing renaissance of the right-handed starter?

Scherzer, at the time a member of the Washington Nationals (left) meets with Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin after a ceremonial puck drop before an NHL game between the Capitals and the New York Rangers, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, in Washington. Nick Wass/THE ASSOCIATED PRESSScherzer seems ageless

Like Ovechkin when he’s on, Scherzer seems ageless, as was evidenced in his latest spring training outing this weekend.

In limiting the visiting Detroit Tigers to two hits over 4.2 shutout innings while striking out five on Saturday, Scherzer’s pitch count jumped to 65, notable given that a year ago every time he hit 50, he’d invariably run into a flaring of the thumb issues that thwarted so much of his first season in Toronto.

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“I thought I had done everything in the offseason to address it last year,” Scherzer said. “And unfortunately, it came back.

“I’ve figured out how to manage it to where it’s not an issue. So now I’m in a normal ramp up, and now I’m able to go out there and physically be who I am.”

Who he is, of course, is a future hall of famer who may just be the most season-ready Jays starter, remarkable given that he’s been in camp for less than two weeks.

The signature Scherzer intensity has been matched by an exuberance that is contagious among his teammates.

‘Ball of tenacity’

“He’s just a ball of tenacity,” Jays starter and 2025 rookie sensation, Trey Yesavage said. “Growing up, I’d always see things about him on TV, but just seeing his persona and his presence on the mound and being a teammate is awesome. I get to see behind the scenes, too.”

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In that sense, Scherzer hasn’t been shy to impart his baseball wisdom.

“We’ve talked baseball, what’s next,” Yesavage said. “Last year, going into the offseason, he talked about what could make me a great pitcher one day. Stuff like that.”

Then there’s the renowned work ethic.

“I mean, he crushes cardio,” Jays reliever Brendon Little said. “He’s in the weight room all the time. I’m sure he’s been doing the same thing for like 16 years now.”

Little offered a story that illustrate’s the Mad Max side of Scherzer. At one point last season, Little approached him asking about a couple of pitches he was planning to add to his arsenal. Initially, Scherzer was lukewarm to the idea but that changed in a hurry.

“He literally did a deep dive on me with our player database,” Little recalled. “He came back to me and said you need something (up in the zone). He talked about pitching to all four quadrants off the zone.

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“It wasn’t off the cuff. Everything he does, it’s not off the cuff. He cares about winning. He cares about making you better.”

Scherzer is committed to making himself better, as well, which is why Saturday’s game was so impressive. That he went head-to-head with young Tigers star Tarik Skubal made it an impressive show for the waning days of Grapefruit League play.

Two more starts in Dunedin

Scherzer said he will have two more starts here, which will have him ready to attack a 19th big-league season.

“I just feel great,” said Scherzer, who acknowledged he’s hoping to see Ovie and the Caps face the Maple Leafs in Toronto on April 8 as he mentioned to Jay Rosehill and Nick Alberga on a recent edition of the Leafs Morning Take podcast. “I’m out there able to execute every pitch, just getting back in the flow of things.

“I guess I would say I’ve felt (younger than his age) for quite a while now.”

The youthful energy Scherzer brings is also easy for his teammates to feed off. The birth certificate may say 41, but there’s still a fountain of youth feeding his veins.

“He has a personality like I think we all do in baseball and that’s trying to stay as young as we can for as long as we can,” new Jays starter Cody Ponce said. “And he definitely enjoys the game.”

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