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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer was not going to leave the game.
Scherzer, 41, let manager John Schneider get the upper hand when his skipper came to the mound to knock him out of the game in the fifth inning of the team’s 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.
Scherzer, nicknamed “Mad Max” for his intensity in his starts, made his first postseason start Thursday after being left off the ALDS roster due to neck soreness. Schneider got a first-hand look at why Scherzer is nicknamed “Mad Max” during his visit to the mound.
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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 October 16, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
“I thought he was going to kill me. It was awesome. He looked me in the eyes, both colors, as I was walking out,” Schneider said with a smile. “He has this Mad Max persona, but he confirmed it tonight.”
The three-time Cy Young winner said he wanted the ball at that moment. Scherzer said he was busy thinking about the sequence of pitches he wanted to throw to Randy Arozarena.
“And all of a sudden I saw Schneids come out and it kind of caught me off guard,” Scherzer said. “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 told him that in a little different language.”
Schneider heeded Scherzer’s impassioned plea to stay and was rewarded with a withdrawal from 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 the American League Championship Series in Seattle, Washington, October 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,” first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said. “And he showed he was good.”
“I tried to stay away from him,” teammate George Springer said. “You don’t really want to embarrass Max, so you kind of let Max be Max. It was entertaining, for sure.”
Schneider said he’s been waiting to be yelled at all year.
“I’ve been waiting for this all year, for Max to yell at me on the mound. I think at that point there are numbers, there are projections, there is a strategy and there are people. So I trusted the people,” Schneider said.
Scherzer pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five Mariners batters.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer looks into his dugout during the sixth inning of Game 4 of the American Baseball League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle, Washington, October 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 day in a row, hitting single starter Luis Castillo to give the Blue Jays a lead they didn’t relinquish. The Blue Jays scored another run in the inning when reliever Gabe Speier scored a run.
Scherzer’s outing, coupled with the Blue Jays’ offense, helped them tie the series at 2-2 as they head into a critical Game 5.
The Mariners and Blue Jays will play Game 5 on Friday at 6:08 p.m. ET, with the final game of the series taking place in Seattle. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be played in Toronto.
