What a series this ALCS has turned out to be! The Blue Jays looked down and out after dropping the first two games, with the Mariners seemingly on their way to the World Series. But in true baseball fashion, the Jays fought back and leveled things up, and it’s now 2-2 heading into the decider!!!

Game 4, though, was all about the Jays at their best. Their offense showed what they are known for. And to top it off, fans got to see a veteran turn back the clock. Yes, a 41-year-old ace squeezing every last bit of magic from his arm, reminding everyone why he’s bound for the Hall of Fame. Well, Max Scherzer was at his very best tonight. And his conversation with John Schneider in the 5th displayed the vintage Mad Max aura.

“I’ve been waiting for that moment since our first Zoom call in the offseason. I thought he was going to kill me. It was great.” MLB insider Keegan Matheson quoted Schneider about how he felt meeting Scherzer in the 5th inning.

Check the clip and you’ll see how Scherzer yelled at Schneider. He seemed absolutely fired up out there, and you could see he wanted to stay in and take the game as deep as possible. And honestly, why not? He threw 5 2/3 strong innings for his first postseason win since 2019, helping the Blue Jays win over the Mariners on Thursday.

“I wanted the ball, and I basically told him that in a little bit different language.” Scherzer shared what’s behind his animated reactions in the 5th inning.

Notably, it was his 500th career start, and he held Seattle to two runs on three hits, with four walks and five SOs. But the best moment came in the fifth when John Schneider walked out to talk with him. If you know Scherzer, you already knew how that conversation would go… Max wasn’t ready to hand over the ball just yet. And fortunately, Schneider took it sportingly.

Scherzer got his wish, came back out for the sixth, and retired Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez before walking Jorge Polanco on his 87th pitch. That finally brought Mason Fluharty, who later allowed Polanco to score. Still, you could tell Max wasn’t too thrilled as he made sure Schneider knew exactly how he felt, walking back to the dugout.

So, when was the last time we saw that kind of fire from Scherzer? Vintage stuff!!!

The Blue Jays’ offense was on display

Game 4 between the Jays and Mariners was not about Scherzer alone but how the Blue Jays’ offense steamrolled its opponent.

Remember that ALDS against the Yankees when the Blue Jays piled up 34 runs in just four games? Well, things looked a lot different early in the ALCS as they managed only four runs total in the first two games against the Mariners. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about this team all year, it’s that the Jays’ offense always finds a way to come back.

And they sure did. The Jays exploded for 21 runs over the next two games to even the series.

Well, game 3 was an absolute hitting clinic with 18 hits, five HRs in a 13–4 blowout of Seattle. Then, in Game 4, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a seventh-inning home run, his fifth of the postseason, breaking Jose Bautista’s 2015 franchise record. And that blast also gave Toronto 17 postseason HRs, the most in franchise history.

So, just when they needed it most, the Jays’ bats came alive again. And right alongside them, we saw vintage Max Scherzer return. Heading into the series decider, Toronto couldn’t have asked for a better setup.