The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough start to the season, tying for last place in the AL East with a 9-13 record. After a win in Phoenix, the Blue Jays’ travel plans to Los Angeles went sideways, forcing a team vote that left star pitcher Max Scherzer fuming.

The Blue Jays had to travel all the way on a bus because the flight that the Jays were supposed to travel on faced complications. “There was an issue with the joystick,” Manager John Schneider said. The option was for the Jays to either wait for another plane or drive.

But Max Scherzer wasn’t happy with this at all. “I got reprimanded by Max for electing to travel that way,” Schneider added.

The Toronto Blue Jays had their charter flight canceled due to a joystick issue affecting takeoffs and landings. The problem came up around 4 p.m. after their 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Players were given two options: wait for another plane or leave by road. The new plane from Vancouver was expected to arrive by only 10 p.m., which meant long delays. The team voted together and chose to take buses instead of waiting for hours.

Manager John Schneider said, “We all got here safe, and we’re ready to go.”

That choice led to a six-hour overnight bus ride through a dark desert road. The team reached their Orange County hotel at around 12:30 a.m. after leaving Phoenix. Even after the long ride, Schneider confirmed that no problems occurred during the travel.

Schneider compared this and said it felt like the Northwest League (minor league in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada) days, where bus trips were common.

Most players wanted to leave early instead of sitting around and waiting for a plane. That decision showed they wanted rest before facing the Angels.

The travel plan needed a lot of work as they had to move all the gear. The team took luggage and food off the plane and brought it back to Chase Field.

From there, everything was loaded onto three buses for the trip ahead. Two buses carried players, while one bus carried staff and coaches. Around 40 people were part of the group making this overnight trip.

Schneider said, “There was a whole lot of doubling up for us. I had my own two seats, and I still had cases of water around me, and you feel bad reclining on people.”

Inside the team, the vote brought different views from players about the travel plan. Pitcher Max Scherzer wanted to wait and take the flight. He ended up on the losing side of the voting, as most players picked the bus option.

Schneider joked that Scherzer “reprimanded” him and talked about how this is going to be a court case. Schneider also joked and said, “I was like, ‘Max, why don’t you just buy a plane? You’ve got plenty of cash.'”

The one player who took a different route was Dylan Cease. He booked a commercial flight and got to the hotel around 9:30 p.m., well before the rest of the team arrived.

That move paid off and helped him stay fresh for the game against the Angels. That freshness was evident as Cease struck out 12 batters in five innings and gave up only two runs. The Blue Jays won the game 5-2. But it looks like Max Scherzer is still not satisfied.

Max Scherzer also sends a warning to the Blue Jays’ clubhouse

Other than having to travel by bus, Max Scherzer is still not satisfied with how the team is playing. The Toronto Blue Jays sit 9-13, last in the AL East standings. Their 94 wRC+ ranks 20th, showing a below-average offense through 22 games.

One 8-run first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks cannot erase weeks of struggles. That outburst included seven hits and eight baserunners, tying a franchise record set in 2014. While the team showed flashes of being a top team, the rankings tell a completely different story.

And Max Scherzer addressed that gap, saying, “This is 2026, not 2025,” after the big win. He added, “You can’t rely on last year,” pointing to their current losing record.

The American League East features four projected playoff teams entering 2026. In 2023, the division posted a .670 record against other MLB teams overall. Since 1995, AL East teams have claimed 20 of 32 American League wild card spots. This shows the competition the AL East has and why teams there can’t slip up.

Sunday showed potential as Toronto got the first eight hitters on base without a single out. Kevin Gausman limited the damage, striking out four across six steady innings against Arizona. Even after following that up by beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Monday, Toronto remains four games behind the division-leading Yankees.

This gap between the teams shows that even after back-to-back wins, the rankings in the AL East will not change that easily.

During the 2025 run, Toronto stood 26-28 by late May before a postseason surge. They pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to seven games in the World Series.

Scherzer warned, “We know we can play with anybody,” but results must be consistent if they want to stay relevant.

Players like Alejangro Kirk and George Springer are expected to return from their injuries in the next few weeks. So the hope now is that the returning players can keep the hitting consistent and can start to get wins on a regular basis.