+34
Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer says he will wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 20th major league season, as he prepares to start Sunday's season finale on short rest against Cincinnati.
TORONTO (AP) - Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer said Saturday he will wait until the offseason to decide whether he wants to play a 20th major league season in 2027.
The 42-year-old is not ready to call it quits just yet. Scherzer is expected to start on short rest against Cincinnati in Sunday's season finale, a scheduling decision that appeared to give the surefire Hall of Famer a proper sendoff in Toronto's final game of the season. He will pitch in front of his family for the final time this year. I have gone through ups and downs through the season.
Max Scherzer Delaying Retirement Decision
I get it, but I have gotten to this point where I am pretty healthy, Scherzer said, sitting in the Blue Jays dugout at Rogers Centre. I have talked to everybody in my inner circle, and we all kind of feel the same way. We do not need to make a decision today. Get to the offseason and just see how things unfold.
Scherzer noted he has never had a serious injury over his Hall of Fame-calibre career, just nagging hurts and pains as he has gotten older. He was on Toronto's 15-day injured list from April 27 to June 10 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. After one start, he went back on the 15-day IL on June 14 with back spasms.
Now that Scherzer is healthy again and says he is in mid-season form, he feels like he could pitch another 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.
MLB Labour Uncertainty Affects Scherzer
We have also got a lot of uncertainty next year with all the labour issues, so you just do not know how the season is 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 executive subcommittee in the early 2020s. It has been kind of actually freeing.
I have been thinking about it this way for the past say six weeks here, and nothing has really changed. We keep kind of circling back to the same thing and I feel good about 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. Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles over his 19-year career.
He is 3-9 with a career-worst 6.14 ERA in 17 starts this season. He went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts with the Blue Jays in 2025. He has amassed a 224-126 record with a 3.29 earned-run average over 500 games, including 491 starts. His 3,550 strikeouts rank ninth on the all-time MLB list, four behind Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
Scherzer Comments on Verlander Career End
Verlander made the final start of his career Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scherzer and Verlander have twice been teammates and remain close friends. I have texted him like a little bit over the past day. I know he is definitely at his end, and I am really looking forward to seeing him go out there and pitch, and for everything he has done in the game and accomplished, said Scherzer.
It is going to be a big moment for him, and I have really enjoyed watching him be able to get back out there one more time. Scherzer insisted he was not considering sticking around for another season to surpass Verlander's strikeout total. It is funny how that is unfolding, said Scherzer, who was teammates with Verlander on the Tigers and later the New York Mets.
Here we are, all these years later, and we are you know neck and neck in that regard. I hope he goes out there and strikes out the world today. Last month, Scherzer moved into ninth place on the career strikeout list with a 10-strikeout game against Seattle, passing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. It was the first time this season and 115th time in his career that Scherzer had fanned 10 or more in a game.
He started at Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader last Wednesday, allowing four runs in five innings. Scherzer struck out seven, boosting his career total to 3,550. Verlander had 3,554 heading into his final career start against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The 43-year-old Verlander announced in July that this would be his final year.
Scherzer Personality Praises from Manager Schneider
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. It has been really cool, really exhausting at times, really funny at times, said Schneider with a 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. It is pretty unique, and I am pretty fortunate to be part of it. Arizona's first-round pick in the 2006 draft, Scherzer debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2008.
He has also pitched for Detroit, Washington, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets and Texas. An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer won his first World Series title with the Nationals in 2019. He got another ring with the Rangers in 2023. Scherzer started Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers last November, the 33rd postseason appearance of his career.
He pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball and left to a rousing ovation from Toronto fans, but the Blue Jays lost 5-4 in 11 innings. In February, Scherzer signed a $3 million, one-year contract to return to Toronto. He has earned $2 million in performance bonuses, $1 million for pitching 65 innings and another $1 million for reaching 75 innings.
Brandon Williamson (5-4) will get the start for the Reds against Scherzer (3-9) in the Sunday matinee at Rogers Centre.
Please follow us on Google to support us
TSN_Sports
CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Max Scherzer Toronto Blue Jays MLB Retirement Justin Verlander 2027 Season
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Max Verstappen labels Azerbaijan GP qualifying a 'disaster,' starts eighthMax Verstappen saw Red Bull's encouraging pace disappear in a 'disaster' qualifying in Baku, where he will start from eighth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Read more »
Regina Drug Treatment Court celebrates its 20th anniversaryIn October of 2006, Regina was one of only six cities in Canada to operate a Drug Treatment Court. Today, over 150 individuals have graduated from the program and have had their lives completely changed for the better.
Read more »
Gold Price Shows Mixed Signals Amid Dollar Weakness and Speculative Wait-and-See ModeGold prices extended their weekly decline by $95 despite a minor daily gain of $10.40 driven by dollar weakness. Traders remain on the sidelines with open interest near a 50-week moving average low, reflecting uncertainty as gold breaks below its 50-day moving average while holding key support levels. Spot gold outperformed futures, but market sentiment suggests expectations of further decline by December.
Read more »