TORONTO — Every adrenaline junkie has a way to get their fix. Some jump out of planes and dive toward earth until they pull their parachutes. Some jump from bridges, elastic strapped around their ankles.
Monday evening, he felt it waiting for him again. Even during his warm-up, the forty-year-old was running after him. Scherzer continued to throw and throw, with all the urgency of a man trying to sneak in a complete play before the first pitch. It wasn’t just a warm-up, it was a one-man show, a raging bull waiting for the steel door to open.
When Scherzer liked a pitch, he played the role of umpire, his finger pointing a gun directly at catcher Alejandro Kirk’s glove or his fist returning to his right shoulder. When Scherzer didn’t like a pitch, he let it be known to every real and imagined person in the bullpen. Sometimes he was angry with himself, tearing his hand through the air in front of his chest to mime the move he had wanted on the field. Other times, the arguments were more abstract, with both arms extended forward, demanding to know why the baseball had just done what it did.
Monday 5-4 victory against the Yankees gave us a glimpse at the best of Scherzer, the complete package the Blue Jays have been waiting for so long. His only blemish was a two-run homer against Jazz Chisholm Jr., but Scherzer displayed legitimate dominance through five innings with seven strikeouts. Aaron Judge’s two outs were among the biggest moments of the game, the second coming on the 10th pitch of the battle – a fastball that Scherzer couldn’t have placed better if he had sent the ball to Kirk’s glove himself.
“There were some at-bats, which is why we all love watching the game,” manager John Schneider said, “like the first two at Judge. (Scherzer) was ready to go. It was obvious with the way he was warming up, it was obvious with the way he started the game. It was the best version we’ve seen.”
Adrenaline kept Scherzer going, but his right thumb problems dogged him. Late in the fifth, he called Kirk to the mound to give himself a moment to breathe, so Schneider and the Blue Jays manager quickly followed. Scherzer flexed his hand and thumb, feeling some of that fatigue seep into his forearm, which is when it gets dangerous.
A few months ago, this might have seemed scarier. Now, though, it looks like Scherzer could continue to pitch in and manage, even if it means some starts are shorter than others. Adrenaline helps, sure, but it’s not about the Yankees. Scherzer’s intensity doesn’t come from the opponent, the batter in the box or the scene itself, it comes from the competition itself.
“Is it a more intense game? No. It’s the big leagues,” Scherzer said. “I know it’s a big game, but I’m not going to sit here and say I didn’t give it my all against the Guardians (when I return Wednesday). I went out there and gave everything I had against them, just like I did today as well. The adversary is not going to suddenly make the pain in the thumb worse. I participate in each start as intensely as possible… within reason, I’m not crazy. But I’m intense every time.
Those were also the games the Blue Jays paid Scherzer $15.5 million for.
Scherzer pitched 143 innings in 30 playoff games, bringing unparalleled experience to this team. He has won two World Series rings, first in 2019 with the Nationals and most recently in ’23 with the Rangers. Once you taste those moments – especially as a pitcher much closer to the end than the beginning – it must be so tempting to feel it all again.
“I always want to play against the best. If you want to win everything, you have to beat the best,” Scherzer said. “You have to take on everyone in the league and take them on with everything you have. This was an opportunity for us to do that.”
Another big test awaits Tuesday morning, when Scherzer wakes up and flexes his thumb for the first time. He’s not out of the woods yet, but we’ve finally seen how good it can be and Blue Jays fans have finally felt a little piece of that feeling that Scherzer continues to chase.
