KANSAS CITY — Max Scherzer took the mound Friday night with an opportunity to pitch the Blue Jays into the postseason against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, but it all unraveled in an instant.
The 473rd start of Scherzer’s MLB career was a candidate for his worst. The future Hall of Famer lasted just two-thirds of an inning, the shortest start of his career — excluding an injury-shortened start in 2021 — and allowed seven runs, tied for the most he’s given up in a single inning over his 18-year career.
The Royals were on top of Scherzer immediately, but the big blow came from Salvador Perez, who made it 5-0 with a three-run shot to right-center field. Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker had just been out to visit with Scherzer, a move that already drew jeers from the Royals’ fans before Scherzer had recorded an out. By the time home-plate umpire James Jean came out to break up the chat, Walker told Jean exactly how he felt about his strike zone. Walker was ejected, and two pitches later, Perez took Scherzer deep.
By the time Scherzer had allowed another two-run home run to Michael Massey and jacked his pitch count up to 45, an alarming number for a single inning, it was over.
The Blue Jays came into Friday night with a legitimate shot at clinching a postseason spot, which only adds to the frustration. They needed a win of their own, plus at least two of the Guardians, Red Sox or Tigers to lose. Instead, the Blue Jays found themselves in a crater almost immediately, forced to hand the ball over to a bullpen that’s already running on fumes in late September.
