Mad Max’s Curtain Call? Scherzer Gets Ovation After Initially Refusing To Leave

Have we seen the last of Mad Max on the mound? Max Scherzer struck out seven over seven-plus innings for his 225th career win and help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 in Sunday’s season finale. A two-time World Series champion and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer (4-9) boosted his career strikeout total to 3,557. That’s the ninth-highest mark in big league history — three behind former teammate Justin Verlander, who made the final start of his decorated career Saturday. Scherzer, who turned 42 in July, has said he would wait until the offseason to make a decision on whether to retire. But his start on Sunday certainly felt like the future Hall of Famer could be leaning towards calling it a career. The sellout crowd of 42,131 in Toronto rose for a standing ovation when Scherzer took the mound alone before the game. Scherzer stepped off and saluted the crowd with a wave. Known as one of the fiercest competitors in baseball, he initially refused to leave the mound when Blue Jays manager Jon Schneider tried to take him out. One inning later, Scherzer finally did come out, hugging Schneider on his walk back to the dugout before jumping into the stands and hugging his family. The Associated Press contributed to his report.