Blue Jays Even ALCS with Mariners after ScherzerS Fiery Performance
TORONTO - The Toronto blue Jays staved off elimination and leveled the American League Championship Series at 2-2 with a decisive win over the Seattle Mariners, fueled by a vintage performance from veteran pitcher Max Scherzer. The victory guarantees the series will return to Toronto for at least a Game 6.
the game was marked by a tense moment in the fifth inning when Blue Jays manager john Schneider visited the mound, prompting Scherzer to emphatically argue for the chance to remain in the game. “I thought he was going to kill me,” Schneider said, adding, “It was great.”
Scherzer explained his mindset: “I understood where the game state was, knew how I wanted to attack, and then all of a sudden, I saw Schneids coming out, and I kind of went, woah, woah, woah, like, I’m not coming out of this ball game. I feel too good. So we had a little conversation that basically I wanted to stay in the ballgame, but just with some other words involved. I just knew I was strong, I knew I wanted the ball, I knew I coudl get outs in this situation. I just wanted to stay in. I wanted it.”
Schneider ultimately trusted his pitcher, a decision validated when Scherzer struck out Randy Arozarena to end the inning.catcher Alejandro Kirk noted the exchange energized the entire team, stating, “everybody” felt the boost.
Reliever Jeff Hoffman, who pitched a clean eighth inning, observed from the bullpen that Schneider allowing Scherzer to advocate for himself was a positive sign. ”Usually Schneids points pretty early, and when he didn’t point early, I was like, Oh, he’s giving Max the chance to fight for himself, and I love that. I’m glad they stuck with him and he came through for us.”
Scherzer continued his strong outing into the sixth, recording outs against Raleigh and striking out Julio Rodriguez for a second time before departing after a walk to Polanco.
Schneider acknowledged Scherzer’s intensity, saying, “It’s not fake. He has this Mad Max persona, but he backed it up tonight. The infielders had a good laugh, too, out there. And he got the job done.”
Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker added, “There are many times where he knows it’s time. And it’s not like the first time we communicate is the time that he’s removed from the game. We talk every inning. So I knew he was feeling great and I knew he was executing and I knew his velocity was there. The competitive fire that he shows in those moments is something that we really haven’t seen, you know what I mean? it was our first glimpse at it, so to speak. we kind of knew what was going to happen. And to be honest with you, it was good to see. It just shows you where he is and what he still has in the tank to contribute, for the rest of this post-season.”
Despite a brief rally by the Mariners in the ninth, highlighted by an RBI single from Eugenio Suarez, Addison Barger quickly extinguished the threat by throwing Naylor out at third.the Blue Jays responded by adding to their lead and securing the win.
