The Toronto Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 4-3 on Sunday to drop the three-game series. They were down 3-0 after a first-inning blast from Bombers' first baseman Ben Rice. Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer was tipping his changeup during the pitch, as admitted by himself and the Yankees' baserunners.
“That is correct. That’s what was happening,” Cody Bellinger said when asked about Scherzer tipping pitches. “We talk about it pregame, and you just go out there and look for it. If you see it, then you obviously do what you can.”
The Yankees won another game by picking up an opponent tipping their pitches. This time, it was Max Scherzer.
“It was pretty obvious. You know, guys at first don’t typically flap their arms like that.”
More w/@MitchBannon ⬇️https://t.co/jumndyRjDn pic.twitter.com/ZJJ7FZVHGJ
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 7, 2025
The video from Kirschner above shows Yankees captain Aaron Judge waiving his arms as Scherzer winds up to pitch. According to Bellinger, he was picking up the changeup from first base, passing it to Judge, who passed it to Rice. After a long at-bat, Rice deposited a changeup into the seats.
Scherzer was asked about his tipping after the game and said it was nothing new. “It’s something we’re aware of, that you can get my changeup out of my glove from first base.” The Blue Jays pitcher said, “It’s something we’ve known. It’s not just the Yankees. Across the league, guys can do that. I’ve had multiple people tell me that. I thought I had addressed it, thought I had made the proper adjustment to get my glove in front of my face, but clearly I hadn’t.”
The Blue Jays now hold a two-game lead in the AL East after losing the set to the Yankees. They do not play again this season, so New York will have to run through the finish line to clinch the division title. If Scherzer can clean up his tipping, he can finish his Hall-of-Fame career with an epic playoff run.
The Blue Jays head home for a series with the Houston Astros starting Tuesday.
