The Toronto Blue Jays fell just short of winning their first World Series championship since 1993, dropping Game 7, 5-4 in 11 innings, to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre on Saturday night.
Los Angeles clawed back for a memorable win, with Miguel Rojas hitting a game-tying homer in the ninth and Will Smith launching a go-ahead solo shot in the 11th. Yoshinobu Yamamoto took home World Series MVP honors after closing out the championship on zero days’ rest, retiring the final eight outs, and finishing the postseason with a 5-1 record, a 1.45 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and only one walk across 37 1/3 innings.
Veteran Toronto right-hander Max Scherzer took the mound for the Blue Jays in Game 7, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three. He threw 54 pitches, including 34 strikes, retiring nine of the first ten batters he faced before giving up a run in the fourth inning. His final pitch of the season was a single to Rojas. Over two World Series starts, Scherzer posted a 6:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 8.2 innings, though he ultimately logged a no-decision.
Despite the defeat, the 41-year-old indicated he has no immediate plans to step away from baseball and expects to continue pitching in 2026.
When asked about retirement following Game 7, Scherzer told reporters:
“I think I’ll give a full answer on that later. But I will say this: I just don’t see how that’s the last pitch I’ve ever thrown.”
Max Scherzer doesn’t have much to say about a potential retirement but can’t imagine today being the last pitch he throws. pic.twitter.com/nrj7qJKzXo
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 2, 2025
This season was Scherzer’s 18th in the majors. In 17 starts this year, he pitched 85 innings, striking out 82 and walking 23, posting a 5.19 ERA. In the final six regular-season starts, he experienced a slump with a 9.00 ERA, allowing eight home runs in 25 innings, though he rebounded somewhat in the postseason with a 3.77 ERA over three starts.
Scherzer played on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays and is now an unrestricted free agent. His career numbers include a 3.22 ERA, three Cy Young awards, two World Series titles, and eight All-Star selections.
Toronto faces the task of regrouping after a hard-fought campaign, and at the same time, Scherzer’s next career move will be closely watched as the free-agent market opens.
