Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by John Chidley-Hill The Canadian Press
Max Scherzer, the 42-year-old Toronto Blue Jays pitcher and likely Hall of Famer, will start on short rest in the team's final game against the Cincinnati Reds before deciding whether to retire or continue playing after the season. Scherzer, who has won three Cy Young Awards and ranks ninth in all-time strikeouts with 3,550, mentioned he feels healthy but is considering factors like potential labor disruptions next year before making a final decision during the off-season.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Max Scherzer capped his two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays by pitching a memorable final game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, November 6. Despite the Blue Jays finishing last in the American League East with a record of 79-83, Scherzer's performance was vintage as he struck out seven over seven innings and threw a season-high 114 pitches.
Scherzer operated on three days' rest, showcasing his stamina and skill by making it seem like "he felt unlimited" feeding off the energy from Rogers Centre. The game saw standing ovations for both Scherzer and George Springer, who led off for the Blue Jays in their season finale.
The win was bittersweet for Toronto fans, who had high hopes after reaching the seventh game of the World Series the previous year but were left disappointed by a sub-par 2026 campaign marked by superstar losses (including Bo Bichette) and pitcher injuries. Despite this, Scherzer's final start gave them one last memorable moment to cherish before he decides his future in baseball, which could involve taking more time off or considering another season. His career strikeout total of 3,557 places him ninth on the all-time MLB list. The Blue Jays' manager and opponents alike praised Scherzer's performance, with Reds manager Terry Francona saying it was hard not to "tip your cap" due to his impact on baseball. (Sources: Articles by Gregory Strong, Ian Harrison, Gregor Chisholm)
Written for “Max Scherzer Delaying Retirement Deci…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
TORONTO - Max Scherzer wasn’t ready to call it quits just yet.
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Scherzer → call → it
Scherzer will start on short rest for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds in a scheduling decision that appeared to give the surefire Hall of Famer a proper sendoff in Toronto’s final game of the season.
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that → start → season
But the 42-year-old told media Saturday that he will wait until the off-season to decide if he’ll retire or play another season of Major League Baseball.
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he → tell → Baseball
“I’ve gone through ups and downs through the season.
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I → go → season
I get it, but I’ve gotten to this point where I’m pretty healthy,” said Scherzer, sitting in the Blue Jays’ dugout at Rogers Centre.
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Scherzer → get → Centre
“I’ve talked to everybody in my inner circle, and we all kind of feel the same way.
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we → talk → circle
“We don’t need to make a decision today.
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We → need → decision
Get to the off-season and just see how things unfold.”
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things → get → season
Scherzer noted that he’s never had a serious injury over his Hall of Fame-calibre career, just nagging hurts and pains as he’s gotten older.
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he → note → career
He was on Toronto’s 15-day injured list from April 27 to June 10 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
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He → injure → tendinitis
After one start, he went back on the 15-day IL on June 14 with back spasms.
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he → go → spasms
Now that Scherzer’s healthy again and says he’s in mid-season form, he feels like he could pitch another season.
uncertain
he → ’ → season
But there are other potential issues, including the likely labour disruption of either a lockout or strike when the collective agreement between MLB and the players’ union expires this winter.
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agreement → be → MLB
“We’ve also got a lot of uncertainty next year with all the labour issues, so you just don’t know how the season’s going to happen or unfold, or what opportunity is going to be in front of me,” said Scherzer, who was a member of the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee in the early 2020s.
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who → get → 2020s
I’ve been thinking about it this way for the past say six weeks here, and nothing’s really changed.
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nothing → think → weeks
“We keep kind of circling back to the same thing and I feel good about it.
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I → circle → it
So, for me, I just want to go out there and pitch tomorrow, knowing that hey, you never know; it could be my last, just in case.”
uncertain
it → want → case
Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles over his 19-year career.
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Scherzer → win → career
He has amassed a 224-126 record with a 3.29 earned-run average over 500 games.
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He → amass → games
His 3,550 strikeouts rank ninth on the all-time MLB list, four behind Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
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strikeouts → rank → Tigers
Verlander made the final start of his career Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Verlander → make → Pirates
Scherzer and Verlander have twice been teammates and remain close friends.
“I’ve texted him like a little bit over the past day.
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I → remain → day
I know he’s definitely at his end, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him go out there and pitch, and for everything he’s done in the game and accomplished,” said Scherzer.
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Scherzer → know → game
“It’s going to be a big moment for him, and I’ve really enjoyed watching him be able to get back out there one more time.”
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him → go → him
Scherzer insisted he wasn’t considering sticking around for another season to surpass Verlander’s strikeout total.
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he → insist → total
“It’s funny how that’s unfolding,” said Scherzer, who was teammates with Verlander on the Tigers and later the New York Mets.
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who → ’ → Tigers
“Here we are, all these years later, and we’re you know neck and neck in that regard.
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you → ’re → regard
“I hope he goes out there and strikes out the world today.”
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he → hope → world
His fiery and sometimes quirky personality earned Scherzer the nickname “Mad Max,” but Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Scherzer was a joy to manage in Scherzer’s two years in Toronto.
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Scherzer → earn → Toronto
“It’s been really cool, really exhausting at times, really funny at times,” said Schneider with a smile.
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Schneider → say → smile
“I think overall, just getting to see inside of his process and his brain has been really eye-opening on how he views the game, how he prepares, how he navigates the day-to-day with his teammates and the staff.
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he → think → teammates
“It’s pretty unique, and I’m pretty fortunate to be part of it.”
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I → ’ → it
Brandon Williamson (5-4) will get the start for the Reds against Scherzer (3-9) in the Sunday matinee at Rogers Centre.
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Williamson → get → Centre
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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