Thursday night’s Game 4 was vintage postseason baseball — full of tension, big moments, and one very fired-up, 41-year-old Max Scherzer refusing to back down from anything. Let’s set the stage, because this one wasn’t just another game in the series — it was the pulse-check for the entire Blue Jays postseason run.
Backs Against the Wall, Toronto Finds Its Backbone
Coming into Game 4, the Blue Jays were skating on thin ice. After dropping the first two at home (never ideal), they had clawed their way back into the conversation with a solid Game 3 win in Seattle. But going down 3–1 in a seven-game series is the kind of math no team wants to deal with. So yeah, call it a non-elimination game all you want — for Toronto, it felt like do-or-die.
So what does manager John Schneider do? He hands the ball to Max Scherzer. The grizzled warrior with eyes that see into hitters’ souls. The same guy who’s spent the last couple of years battling injuries and hearing whispers that his best days were behind him. And yet, on Thursday night, with the season teetering, Scherzer showed up like it was 2016 all over again.
Scherzer Digs Deep and Delivers Like a Legend
Scherzer wasn’t just decent — he was dialed in. By the time the fifth inning rolled around, he was holding a 5–1 lead, carving through the Mariners’ lineup like a man on a mission. But then came the drama. With a runner on first and the inning getting dicey, Schneider made the slow walk to the mound. Maybe it was a precaution. Maybe he just wanted to feel the temperature. Either way, Scherzer shut that down fast. The man stood his ground — and won.
And how did he cap it off? By striking out Randy Arozarena with a wicked off-speed pitch to escape the inning, stomping off the mound with that classic Mad Max fire. The dugout was rocking. The fans? Losing their minds. The message? Loud and clear: this series ain’t over.
Momentum Shifts as Blue Jays Evens the Series
He ended up going into the sixth before finally handing it over, but by then the Jays were up 5–2, and Scherzer was lined up for the win. Toronto’s bats added insurance runs late, sealing an 8–2 win that evened the ALCS at two games apiece — and flipped the momentum hard back in their favor.
So yeah, Game 4 might not have been an elimination game on paper… but Max Scherzer treated it like one. And he reminded everyone that under the right lights, on the right night, age is just a number — especially when you’ve got the heart of a lion and a postseason resume that speaks for itself.
Let’s just say this: if the Jays end up taking this series, we’ll be talking about Game 4 — and Scherzer’s defiant stand — for years.
