“Can we just play baseball? We’re humans. Can we just be judged by humans? Do we really need to disrupt the game? I think humans are defined by humans,” Max Scherzer said after his first appearance on the mound in Major League Baseball’s automated ball-strike system era back in February last year. Yet, when Royals’ Carter Jensen stepped in with two outs in the second on Tuesday, ABS played a decisive role in ending Kansas City’s threat.

Scherzer’s 88 mph changeup just caught the corner of the zone, only for Brandon Valenzuela to challenge the call. The review overturned it, ending the inning and preserving Scherzer’s scoreless inning. Mad Max, however, was far from amused, visibly frustrated as he headed back to the dugout.

“That’s the f***ing s*** I’m dealing with,” Scherzer was heard saying on his way back to the dugout, and Jomboy Media posted the sequence on X, writing, “Max Scherzer was pissed that the Blue Jays had to use a challenge to get this strike call.”

2026 is far from being kind to Max Scherzer. Coming off his heroic campaign from last year, including his 4.1 innings with 1 ER in the 2025 World Series Game 7, Scherzer is struggling this year. Currently standing at 1-6 with a 7.40 ERA, the starting pitcher is yet to get back to his best. Hence, in his recent starts, the 42-year-old has been seen in an intense avatar, and when he had to ask for a review to ensure his third out, the Blue Jays’ veteran couldn’t contain his emotions.

However, under MLB’s ABS rule, if the replay official overturns a call on the field, the team retains its manager’s challenge to use on a later play. So, just as the Blue Jays’ review was retained here, their one review chance was saved. It’s certainly not the case that Scherzer was pissed off about losing a review chance, but rather that a called strike needed to be reviewed.

There was enough evidence to prove Max Scherzer’s hot-headedness. He has occasionally clashed or had heated verbal exchanges with opponents, umpires, and even his own managers when pulled from games. During a mound visit in Game 4 of the 2025 ALCS, even the Blue Jays manager John Schneider was not spared from Scherzer’s wrath. During the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners, with a runner on first and two outs, Schneider walked out to the mound.

However, before Schneider fully arrived, a fierce Scherzer started shouting, “No,” and gesturing wildly. He demanded to stay in the game because he felt strong. Schneider later joked that he felt like he was approaching a raging lion and noted he trusted his veteran competitor’s fiery Mad Max intensity.

“I thought he was going to kill me. It was great,” Schneider said at the time. “He locked eyes with me, both colors, as I walked out. It’s not fake. That’s the thing, this isn’t fake. He has that Mad Max persona, and he backed it up tonight.”

Amid this intense approach from Scherzer, it was expected that the umpire’s error wouldn’t go unnoticed by him. However, despite his on-field intensity, Scherzer’s struggles may be far from over.

The fall of Max Scherzer’s greatest weapon

If anything affected Mad Max the worst in 2026, it was his struggle with sliders. In past years, like 2017, his slider generated a 50% strikeout rate and was nearly unhittable. However, hitters are now zoning in on the pitch instead of swinging and missing. This puts extra pressure on the rest of his pitching mix. His slider no longer has the sharp bite that used to fool hitters. Hitters have a 1.102 OPS against his slider this season.

And his injuries are largely to blame.

Since the start of this season, Scherzer has struggled with them. He reportedly missed over six weeks from late April to June due to right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. Shortly after returning in June, he landed back on the injured list with back spasms right before a scheduled start against the Boston Red Sox.

For a 42-year-old, recovering from these repeated injuries and returning to his best is a difficult task. Just when the Blue Jays entered their final 30-game stretch hoping to secure a Wild Card berth, Scherzer’s struggles may come back to haunt the team in a bigger way.