Max Scherzer steps back years as Blue Jays tie ALCS with win over Mariners | MLB
Max Scherzer turned back the clock with a brilliant performance, and Andres Giménez homered and drove in four runs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 8-2 on Thursday to even the American League Championship Series at two games apiece.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struck out his fifth of the postseason, and the 41-year-old Scherzer allowed two runs in five innings and two-thirds innings for the Blue Jays, who outscored the Mariners 21-6 in Seattle after losing the first two games at home.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series will take place on Friday, with Kevin Gausman scheduled to start for Toronto against Game 1 winner Bryce Miller.
Scherzer, who made his 500th career start in the major league, regular season and postseason combined, became the oldest player to start a postseason game since 45-year-old Jimmy Moyer was with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 World Series.
The veteran right-hander had three hits, one of which was a solo home run by Josh Naylor in the second inning. Scherzer settled in from there, and wasn’t removed until manager John Schneider’s second visit to the mound.
With two outs in the fifth, Schneider and Scherzer briefly exchanged words on the mound for the first time, and the three-time Cy Young Award appeared to tell Schneider he wasn’t going to be out of the game at that point.
Schneider left Scherzer and immediately struck out Randy Arozarena swinging with a curveball, one of six high-connecting whiffs Scherzer generated with his curve, before slamming his glove in celebration.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays’ offense picked up where they left off after scoring 13 runs in Game 3. Jimenez hit a two-run homer in the third inning for the second straight day, hitting Luis Castillo’s first off to give Toronto a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Blue Jays tacked on another run in the inning to chase Castillo when reliever Gabe Speier walked a home run.
Toronto added to its advantage in the fourth with an RBI double from George Springer, who came around to score on a groundout by Matt Brush. Guerrero, who had scored a solo goal earlier in the game, hit a slam dunk on the opposite team’s homer to score the seventh off Eduardo Bazardo.
Guerrero leads the majors in hurdles this season.
Giménez made two insurance runs in the eighth with a single up the middle that deflected off the glove of Emerson Hancock.
Miller has a 2.61 ERA in two playoff runs starting in October, while Gaustman, a two-time All-Star, is 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 postseason appearances.