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Max Scherzer said he will wait until the off-season to decide whether to retire or pitch another season, after making what could be his final start for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Max Scherzer is not ready to retire just yet. The 42-year-old Toronto Blue Jays right-hander said Saturday he will wait until the off-season to decide whether to retire or play another season in Major League Baseball.
Scherzer Waits for Final Toronto Start
Scherzer will start on short rest for Toronto on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds. The scheduling decision appeared to give the surefire Hall of Famer a proper sendoff in Toronto's final game of the season. Scherzer said he has been thinking about his future for about six weeks. He has talked with everyone in his inner circle, and they all feel the same way.
"I've gone through ups and downs through the season. I get it, but I've gotten to this point where I'm pretty healthy," Scherzer said, sitting in the Blue Jays dugout at Rogers Centre.
"I've talked to everybody in my inner circle, and we all kind of feel the same way. We don't need to make a decision today. Get to the off-season 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.
Health and Labour Shape His Future
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.
"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. "It's been kind of actually freeing. I've been thinking about it this way for the past say six weeks here, and nothing's 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.
Hall of Fame Career and Strikeouts
" Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles over his 19-year career. He has amassed a 224-126 record with a 3.29 earned-run average over 500 games. His 3,550 strikeouts rank ninth on the all-time MLB list, four behind Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. 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've texted him like a little bit over the past 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," Scherzer said.
"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. " Scherzer insisted he was not considering sticking around for another season to surpass Verlander's strikeout total. "It's funny how that's 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're you know neck and neck in that regard.
I hope he goes out there and strikes out the world today.
Mad Max's Toronto Impact
" His fiery and sometimes quirky personality earned Scherzer the nickname Mad Max. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Scherzer was a joy to manage in his two years in Toronto.
"It's been really cool, really exhausting at times, really funny at times," Schneider said 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's pretty unique, and I'm pretty fortunate to be part of it.
" Brandon Williamson (5-4) will get the start for the Reds against Scherzer (3-9) in the Sunday matinee at Rogers Centre. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
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CTVNews:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Max Scherzer Toronto Blue Jays MLB Retirement Cincinnati Reds Labor Dispute Justin Verlander
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