BALTIMORE — Max Scherzer allowed 4 runs and 4 hits in 5 innings Wednesday in the 500th appearance of his career. The 42-year-old right-hander walked 3 and struck out 7 in his 491st career start.
The Baltimore Orioles won Game 1 of the doubleheader 4-2. The loss eliminated the Toronto Blue Jays from the postseason race.
Scherzer told reporters after the game that he hopes to come back on short rest to pitch Sunday in Toronto’s regular-season finale, The Associated Press reported. He fell to 3-9 with a 6.14 ERA.
“I’ll probably say something here in the next couple of days,” Scherzer said.
Pete Alonso And Chris Bassitt Beat Max Scherzer In Baltimore
Pete Alonso hit his 41st home run of the season, a two-run shot off Scherzer in the bottom of the fifth inning that put Baltimore ahead 4-0.
Chris Bassitt (9-5) allowed 2 runs and 7 hits in more than 5 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 2.
Bassitt and Scherzer were teammates with the New York Mets in 2022 and with Toronto last season.
“He’s No. 1 in my book as the most respect I’ve ever had on someone in the game,” Bassitt said.
Toronto fell to 77-81, a year after winning the American League pennant. The Blue Jays pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to extra innings in Game 7 of last year’s World Series.
Max Scherzer’s 500 Appearances And Texas Rangers Tenure
Scherzer is the 451st pitcher to reach 500 career appearances. Only 54 pitchers in major league history have made more starts.
He posted a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts for Toronto in 2025. He re-signed with the Blue Jays in February on a one-year, $3 million contract.
“I don’t know if I want to publicly say, yet,” Scherzer explained. “I’d rather keep the blinders up and address once the season’s over … I’m not limping to the finish line, I’m accelerating through the finish line.”
Before Toronto, Scherzer spent parts of two seasons with the Texas Rangers. Texas acquired him from the Mets on July 30, 2023. He made 17 regular-season starts for the Rangers across 2023 and 2024, plus three more during the 2023 postseason run to the World Series title.
Scherzer recalled that title run during Toronto’s Sept. 18-20 series at Globe Life Field. He did not pitch in that series.
Toronto closes the regular season at home Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds.
