TORONTO — Max Scherzer gritted his teeth and huffed. He fired finger guns following strikes and threw his head back in agony after balls. Long before the World Series, the right-hander vibrated with an electricity reserved for October during a meaningless mid-summer bullpen session.
As he threw, the “Top Gun Anthem,” with its elongated electric guitar riff and heavy drums, blared out of a white boombox, the throwback song providing power for an arm that’s tossed over 3,000 innings regular and postseason combined.
For Scherzer, it never stops.
That’s why at 41, he’s still pitching. With the best-of-seven series against the Dodgers tied 1-1, it’s why he’ll get the ball in a pivotal Game 3.
For the three-time Cy Young Award winner, it’s always October. He won’t throw unimportant pitches to imaginary batters in the bullpen.
“This is what you play for,” Scherzer said. “To be able to get to this spot, to get to this moment, to have a shot at it.”
It’s that endless electricity the Blue Jays require as the series moves to Dodger Stadium. He’s tasked with earning back the Jays’ edge. It’s the sort of start that seemed unimaginable in June but it’s the kind of outing he’s always preparing for.
With three pitching coaches watching, Scherzer yelled, “Let’s do (Brice) Turang,” referring to the Brewers’ diminutive infielder.
Except, there was no Turang standing 60 feet away. Still, Scherzer picked through a lineup in his head, imagining at-bats. Assistant pitching coach Sam Greene connected his phone to the boombox and flipped to a mobile soundboard.
For Scherzer’s dotted strikes, he played the sound of a revving engine. The veteran starter clenched his fist in celebration.
For the misses, a sad horn honked. Scherzer cringed.
Scherzer already displayed his fiery personality and intensity once this October. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Despite being in his 18th season, Scherzer’s side sessions pulsed with passion. His effort is unconditionally always at its highest. He feeds off the mocking noises after bad bullpen pitches. Alex Avila, who caught Scherzer for five years, said “getting on his a–” is the best way to motivate the future Hall of Famer.
Just three wins separate Scherzer from his third World Series ring. There’s no need for added incentive on Monday. Either the Jays move back up in the World Series, after Saturday’s 5-1 loss, or they fall into a hole.
“I have plenty of motivation,” Scherzer said. “I’m here to win and I’ve got a clubhouse full of guys who want to win too.”
The Jays saw Scherzer at his October best, shouting manager John Schneider off the mound and pulling Toronto to a Game 4 win in the American League Championship Series. There was no question he’d get the ball once more. This time, with the lights brighter and the banner closer.
But, for much of the season, this World Series start felt distant.
As Scherzer sat (or, more accurately, paced) on the sidelines for three months, explaining the many pain points of his ailing thumb, October felt impossible. As he failed to find a way through the first inning in September, a rotation spot slipped away. Days before Toronto’s Division Series, he didn’t appear close to top form, allowing triples and homers to Double A prospects in simulated games.
Through it all, the electricity still buzzed.
Scherzer stood on the dugout’s top step, his arms draped over the padding. Left off the DS roster, he mouthed words to himself as if a sorcerer casting incantations on opposing players. He marched through dugouts, acting as a second pitching coach. He stepped into Schneider’s office almost every day, offering a health update before lingering.
It was, Schneider laughed, the manager’s “daily Max session.”
It’s why Schneider, pushing an IPA to his lips after Toronto’s Game 7 win over the Seattle Mariners, wasn’t shocked when Scherzer immediately asked about the next steps. The starter sped through questions, at his perpetual pace, asking which game he’d start, which outing he needed extra tickets for and when he’d throw his side session. The champagne still pooled in the belly of Rogers Centre, but Scherzer buzzed with World Series excitement.
“I was like, ‘Max, I’m enjoying a beer, man,’” Schneider said.
But that’s what the Blue Jays signed up for — unyielding energy and Hall of Fame upside. After months of waiting, it’s what they received in the ALCS. It’s what the Jays could use again in Game 3.
After three Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star Game nods and two World Series titles, these are the only games that can truly add to Scherzer’s well-built legacy. For many in his position, days like Monday would be the only ones that fully fuel. What’s the point of May and June when you’ve participated in two parades?
But not for Scherzer. Even on an August afternoon, it’s always October. Every start is Game 3 of the World Series. This time, however, it actually is.
“I’m not trying to let the moment change my intensity,” Scherzer said. “That’s why I’m intense, every single time.”