SEATTLE — The Toronto Blue Jays are expecting Max Scherzer to be his excitable, feisty self when he starts Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
“I love it. This is what you play for,” Scherzer said. “You want to have the ball in this situation. You want to be pitching in the postseason.”
The 41-year-old Scherzer hasn’t pitched in a game since his last regular-season start on Sept. 24 against Boston. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is making his 26th postseason start and 31st appearance.
Scherzer and fellow right-hander Chris Bassitt were added to Toronto’s ALCS roster after they missed the Division Series against the Yankees. Bassitt pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in a relief appearance during Monday night’s 10-3 loss to the Mariners.
“I expect Max to be Max,” Bassitt said, “in the aspect of just go out there and execute at a very, very high level.”
Scherzer is 0-3 over his last eight postseason starts since the 2019 World Series. He went 1/3 with a 9.00 ERA in his final six starts of the 2025 season.
Scherzer admitted his pitching was not up to his standards toward the end of the season, and that he took time to get his body right. Manager John Schneider said Sunday that neck pain limited Scherzer at the end of the season. The eight-time All-Star also didn’t pitch between March 29 and June 25 because of right thumb inflammation.
Scherzer, who finalized a $15.5 million, one-year contract with Toronto in February, went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts this year — his 18th in the major leagues.
“I don’t want to sit here and go backwards and blame injuries for any way I pitched,” Scherzer said. “When I take the mound, I take the mound, and I have the attitude (that) I’m going to win no matter what.”
The Blue Jays dropped the first two games of the ALCS at home but responded with a Game 3 win in Seattle on Wednesday night.
“We’re a great team,” Scherzer said Wednesday. “I’ve seen it over and over throughout this year, the number of times we responded in so many different ways. 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.”
