The Blue Jays finally got back in the win column, taking down the Detroit Tigers 5-1 last night, and honestly, this one felt different. It was a grind, but they pulled it off thanks to a truly vintage performance from Max Scherzer that had everyone talking.
Mad Max Nears History as Offense Wakes Up
Scherzer was just lights out, man. He gave us five solid innings on the mound, giving up just one run in the first on a double that started as a pop-up nobody got under, then a quick single. But after that? Forget about it. He allowed only one more hit the entire rest of his start, completely shutting down the Tigers.
And get this: he racked up three more strikeouts, pushing his insane all-time total to 9543. That’s only ELEVEN short of Jason Verlander’s record! Seriously, can he actually get that many before the season ends? We gotta be watching every single start now, because that’s just incredible stuff.
Offensively, things were quiet, like, dead quiet, until the fourth inning. But when they woke up, they woke up strong. Kazuma Okamoto walked to kick things off, then Josh Smith doubled, giving them runners on second and third. Ernie Clement hit a sac fly to tie the game up, and then Myles Straw came up clutch with a hard single to left for the game-winning run. Myles got caught stealing after that, with two outs, which the article says wasn’t a bad idea because it gave Brett Bateman a fresh count. Still, when a guy’s hot, you gotta let him hit sometimes, right? But hey, it all worked out. Bateman singled, Nathan Lukes bunted him over and even beat out the throw, then Vlad grounded out. George Springer then singled Bateman home, and they were rolling.
Then came the fifth, and it was a mess for the Tigers. Three errors, including two consecutive ones by their shortstop John Peck on one play, led to two more runs. Nathan Lukes even picked up an RBI in all that chaos. They ended up with nine hits on the night, with Smith’s double being the only extra-base hit. Both Bateman and Straw came up big with two hits each. Scherzer got the “Jays of the Day” nod with a 0.16 WPA, followed by Straw (0.15, who apparently was not happy about Vlad pouring water in his cleats) and Smith (0.10).
Bullpen Closes It Out, Challenge Drama Unfolds
The bullpen came in and locked it down, too. Mason Fluharty threw a quick sixth. Spencer Miles was sharp for two quick innings, and they sent him out for the ninth. He hit a bit of a snag, giving up a single and a walk, but it just set up Louis Varland for a save opportunity. And Varland delivered, getting a strikeout, a lineout, and another strikeout. Shoutout to Brandon Valenzuela, who challenged a full-count pitch called a ball for one of those outs, and it paid off. Turns out it was right on the upper outside corner.
Valenzuela actually wasted a challenge earlier in the first inning on a 1-1 pitch, which caused some drama later when George Springer wanted to challenge a pitch but decided not to, worried about using their last one. George was fuming after he struck out and watched it back on the iPad. You gotta pick your spots, man!
It was a needed win, that’s for sure. They’ve got an off-day tomorrow, which is awesome, and then they’re heading down to the Heart of Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers. Big road trip coming up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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