TORONTO — Max Scherzer said he felt \u201cunlimited\u201d in Sunday\u2019s season-ending start against the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n
Pitching on three days of rest, the 42-year-old Scherzer struck out seven over seven-plus innings to earn the 225th victory of his career as the Blue Jays won 5-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was amazing,\u201d Scherzer said. \u201cThe adrenaline starts kicking in, the fans start getting in, and that\u2019s when I could start feeding off of the crowd here at the Rogers Centre. I really could just reach back and just felt like I was unlimited.\u201d<\/p>\n Scherzer threw a season-high 114 pitches, 77 for strikes. He walked one and allowed one run and six hits, including five singles.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that doesn\u2019t sum up Max Scherzer, I don\u2019t know what does,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.<\/p>\n Even Reds manager Terry Francona was impressed.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we\u2019d have won but it\u2019s hard not to tip your cap or clap because he\u2019s been so much of what\u2019s good in baseball, and you\u2019ve got to respect that,\u201d Francona said.<\/p>\n A two-time World Series champion and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer (4-9) boosted his career strikeout total to 3,557. That\u2019s the ninth-highest mark in big league history \u2014 three behind former teammate Justin Verlander, who made the final start of his decorated career Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n The sellout crowd of 42,131 rose for a standing ovation when Scherzer took the mound alone before the game, with his teammates briefly hanging back in the dugout. Scherzer stepped off and saluted the fans with a wave.<\/p>\n Schneider was booed when he came to the mound with two outs in the seventh, but fans cheered when Scherzer stayed in to retire Will Banfield on a popup.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole place is booing him,\u201d Scherzer said of Schneider. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I want to stay in this game, too.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Schneider came out again after Scherzer walked Oswaldo Cabrera to begin the eighth. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was the weakest call to the bullpen ever for me,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cI kind of used my pinky.\u201d<\/p>\n A smiling Scherzer handed over the ball and walked off to another big cheer. After exchanging hugs with his teammates, Scherzer climbed into the stands next to the dugout to embrace his wife and children.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a cool moment to be able to see them,\u201d Scherzer said. \u201cI wanted to have them here.\u201d<\/p>\n Scherzer said he skipped his bullpen session and upper-body weightlifting after throwing 93 pitches in five innings at Baltimore last Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave myself maximum chance to be able to be the best today I can possibly be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Scherzer finished one out shy of reaching 85 innings pitched, which would have earned him a $1 million bonus. He\u2019d previously earned $1 million bonuses for reaching 65 innings and 75 innings.<\/p>\n