Scherzer strikes out seven as Blue Jays beat Reds in possible final start

Max Scherzer held the Cincinnati Reds to one run over 114 pitches on the final day of the MLB regular season, then said he will decide on retirement later in the offseason.

The final day of the Major League Baseball regular season may have doubled as the last game of Max Scherzer's career. The 42-year-old right-hander gave the Toronto Blue Jays seven innings in a 5-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, throwing 114 pitches along the way and earning the win. Toronto closed its regular season with the result.

Scherzer allowed six hits and one walk while striking out seven, and Cincinnati pushed across just one run against him. The seven-inning, high-pitch effort gave the Blue Jays everything they needed on the schedule's closing day, and it left open the biggest question surrounding him: whether he will pitch again.

The start nearly ended an out earlier. After 6 2/3 innings, manager John Schneider came to the mound for a visit that might not have been a genuine attempt to remove his starter. Scherzer wanted no part of leaving, stayed on the rubber and finished the seventh himself, one last display of the intensity that has followed him throughout his career.

When the outing was over, Scherzer turned toward the stands. During the eighth inning, with Toronto's relievers handling the rest, he embraced family members who had watched from their seats. The hug carried the weight of a possible goodbye.

Scherzer has not said whether he intends to retire, a silence that sets him apart from his friend and former teammate Justin Verlander, who has made his own intentions known. The 42-year-old indicated the decision will arrive on his own schedule rather than anyone else's.

“I'm going to make this decision about playing next year later in the offseason,” Scherzer said. He described a year with difficult stretches but said he has gotten to a point where he feels pretty healthy. After talking things through with the people around him, he said everyone agreed there was no reason to decide right away.

Scherzer rejoined the Blue Jays last offseason on a one-year, $3 million contract. The season before, pitching in Toronto, he came close to adding one more championship to his record. With that deal now finished, whether any further moves follow is an open question.

His individual credentials run deep. Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards, a total reached by just 11 pitchers in MLB history, and has been selected to eight All-Star teams. He has also thrown two no-hitters, a 20-strikeout game and three immaculate innings.

He owns two World Series championships, earned with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and the Texas Rangers in 2023. If he walks away this offseason, his next milestone would come five years out, when he first becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Until then, Scherzer plans to let the offseason unfold before choosing his next step.