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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer would not leave the game.
Scherzer, 41, let manager John Schneider have it when his skipper came to the mound to take him out during the fifth inning of the team’s 8-2 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.
Scherzer, nicknamed “Mad Max” for his intensity during his starts, made his first start of the postseason Thursday after being sidelined for the ALDS with neck pain. Schneider got a first-hand taste of why Scherzer is nicknamed “Mad Max” during his mound visit.
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) shares a few words with Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider during a visit to the mound during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the MLB American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, Washington on Oct. 16, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
“I thought he was going to kill me. It was amazing. He locked eyes with me, both colors, when I walked out,” Schneider said with a smile. “He has this Mad Max persona, but he backed it up tonight.”
The three-time Cy Young winner said he wanted the ball at that moment. Scherzer said he was busy thinking about the order of pitches he would throw to Randy Arozarena.
“And all of a sudden I see Schneids come out and it kind of caught me,” Scherzer explained. “It’s just one of those moments where I know I wanted the ball. I knew the situation of the game. I wanted the ball and I basically told him in a little different language.”
Schneider followed Scherzer’s impassioned plea to stay in and was rewarded with a strikeout by Arozarena. It was a key moment in the Blue Jays victory, one that tied the series 2-2.
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer reacts to a strikeout against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning of Game 4 of baseball’s American League Championship Series in Seattle, Washington, on Oct. 16, 2025. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
“When a Hall of Famer like this tells you he’s good, you should leave him in the game,” said first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. “And he showed he’s good.”
“I tried to stay away from him,” teammate George Springer said. “You don’t really want to get in Max’s way, so you kind of just let Max be Max. It was definitely entertaining.”
Schneider said he had been waiting to be called all year.
“I’ve been waiting for that all year, for Max to yell at me on the mound. I think at that point, there’s numbers, there’s projections, there’s strategy and there’s people. So I trusted people,” Schneider said.
Scherzer pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five Mariners hitters.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer looks to his dugout during the sixth inning of Game 4 of baseball’s American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, Washington, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo)
The Blue Jays’ offense, meanwhile, picked up where it left off after scoring 13 runs in Game 3. Andres Giménez hit a two-run homer in the third inning for the second straight day, this one off starter Luis Castillo to give the Blue Jays a lead it would not relinquish. The Blue Jays tacked on another run in the inning when reliever Gabe Speier drove in a run.
Scherzer’s outing, combined with the Blue Jays offense, helped them even the series at 2-2 heading into a critical Game 5.
Mariners and Blue Jays play game 5 at 6:08 PM ET on Friday, the final game of the series taking place in Seattle. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be played in Toronto.
