Max Scherzer doesn’t have anything else to prove at 41. He has two World Series rings on his own hands. His three Cy Young Awards prove that he is the best. But as the Blue Jays get ready to play the Dodgers in Game 3, with the series tied at 1-1, the veteran right-hander is approaching this important game to start with the same intensity that has characterized his 18-year career. What’s different now? The stakes have never been higher, and Scherzer wouldn’t want it any other way.

Max Scherzer’s preparation shows how he was feeling before the big game on Monday. He gritted his teeth after every pitch during a mid-summer bullpen session that was supposed to be meaningless. After strikes, he fired finger guns, and after misses, he threw his head back in pain. “I’m not trying to let the moment change my intensity,” Scherzer explained. “That’s why I’m intense every single time.”

Alex Avila, Scherzer’s former catcher who worked with him for five years, said that “getting on his a–” is still the best way to motivate the future Hall of Famer. He doesn’t need any outside motivation now that he only needs three more wins to win his third championship. “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.”

Just a few months ago, this start seemed impossible. Max Scherzer missed three months because of a thumb injury. He had a hard time in September and didn’t even make the Division Series team. But manager John Schneider saw him walking around the dugout during those games, talking to himself, and helping other pitchers. Schneider tried to enjoy a beer after Toronto beat Seattle in Game 7. Scherzer had other ideas.

Right away, he asked which game he would start and when he would throw his next bullpen session. He was ready because he played well in Game 4 of the ALCS, when he yelled at Schneider to stay off the mound. After Toronto lost Game 2 by a score of 5-1, the series moves to Dodger Stadium. Scherzer needs to stop the Blue Jays from going down 2-1. The Dodgers have to face a pitcher who brings his “October” intensity every time he pitches.

Blue Jays lean on Max Scherzer’s historic World Series experience

If Scherzer starts Game 3 on Monday, he will become the first pitcher to reach the World Series with four different teams. He has had an amazing journey through October baseball, starting with the 2012 Tigers, then winning his second championship with the 2019 Nationals, then going to the playoffs with the Rangers last year, and now playing in the Fall Classic with Toronto. While other pitchers look for calm, he uses pure competitive rage in every pitch. That fire has helped him get into the Hall of Fame.

The 2025 regular season, on the other hand, makes us wonder what Scherzer can really do on the field. He only made it to the seventh inning twice and threw more than 100 pitches only once in 17 starts. In October 2021, he had his last great postseason performance against the Giants, when he struck out 10 batters and gave up only three hits in seven innings.

The Toronto Blue Jays are betting that Scherzer’s competitive spirit can help him get over the physical problems that plagued his season. His willpower alone might make October magic happen when his body can’t. The Blue Jays need ‘Mad Max’ to be at his best, and history shows that he comes through when the stakes are high.