Blue Jays two wins away from World Series after Mad Max mastery

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For one big night in Seattle, the Mad Max Scherzer experience was spectacular theater.

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And yes, thanks to a stellar performance from Toronto's veteran starter to lead his team to a resounding 8-2 win over the Mariners, the Blue Jays are now just two wins away from their first trip to the World Series since 1993.

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Scherzer was absolutely brilliant in what felt like the biggest win of this remarkable Blue Jays season.

The 41-year-old right-hander gave his team 5.2 innings of deft, clinical starting pitching punctuated by emotional outbursts, all rolled into one extremely entertaining package.

With the offense adding support, the Jays have won two in a row at T Mobile Stadium – after losing the first two at home – but now ensuring the series heads back to Toronto for at least Game 6 of the ALCS on Sunday.

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But what a win it was Thursday for the Jays, another shining example of the team's mettle, a consistent force that has carried them to 94 regular-season wins and now a lead in this best-of-seven series.

Scherzer held the Mariners to two earned runs and just three hits in his 5.2 innings of pitching magic. And thanks to the support of the wound, the victory was not in doubt in anyone’s mind, starting from the third inning.

We'll start summing up Jace's grand triumph in the fourth game with a couple dedicated to Master Max himself.

THE MAD MAX EXPERIENCE

It was everything you'd expect from the spectacular veteran – and perhaps more – an effort and show complemented by some nice theatrics that delighted Scherzer's teammates.

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After one inning, pitching coach Pete Walker was elbowed as a fired-up Scherzer rolled down the bench steps.

And then there's the classic video clip that will likely become part of Scherzer's career highlight package. When manager John Schneider came to the mound to chat with two players coming out of the fifth, you didn't have to read lips to see that Scherzer shouted “wow” to his captain and then, after a brief chat on the mound, “Let's go!” He went, finished the work and received an invitation to return for the sixth.

After a pair of walks in the first—a slight shake that had some wondering if it was Scherzer's first start since Sept. 24—and a solo home run that allowed Canada's Josh Naylor to lead off in the second, Scherzer pulled himself together and was on the verge of great.

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And every one of his teammates loved it.

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CRAZY MONEY

A bumpy season with a couple of injury delays—to the point where he wasn't even in the ALDS lineup against the Yankees—meant the $15.5 million, one-year contract the Jays gave Scherzer didn't always look like a good return.

But one could argue that Jays owner Rodgers will get all that and more from this little postseason shine. It's impossible to pinpoint exactly how much another home playoff game would cost, but by getting at least a sixth game at the Rogers Center, one great playoff game from the future hall of famer would go a long way toward getting his employer the full amount of that contract.

MORE MAX

With five strikeouts Thursday, Scherzer now has 176 strikeouts for his postseason career, moving him past Roger Clemens (173) for fifth place all-time.

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The start was the 500th of his career (combining the regular season and playoffs), and Scherzer became just the 10th starter age 40 or older to pitch five plus innings in postseason play.

HIT PARADE

The Jays offense continues to be the big story in what once again looks like a special postseason run. With the eight they scored on Thursday, they have now scored 59 in eight games, including the four they scored in the first two games of this series.

The driving force behind this offense all season has been contributions up and down the order, and that happened again in the Jays' latest Pacific Northwest win. While Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s solo outing in the seventh was his fifth of the playoffs, setting a franchise single postseason record, it's the supporting cast that continues to shine.

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We'll start this discussion with No. 9 hitter Andres Jimenez, who blasted a two-run homer for the second straight night, this time in the Jays' third of the game's first runs. Jimenez, a sleepy regular-season hitter, was involved in four of the Jays' eight runs.

What about Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who Schneider put in the lineup because he liked his matchup against Seattle starter Luis Castillo. Kiner-Falefa struck out in his first two at-bats, crossed the plate and walked in after both.

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ADVANTAGES OF JAY?

Among the long list of positives from Thursday's monumental win is what comes next. This ALCS is now a best-of-three, with the Jays regaining home-field advantage.

The only remaining game in Seattle is Friday at 6:08 p.m., and the Jays will send out their ace, Kevin Gausman, to pick it up.

Gausman, you'll recall, pitched five shutout innings for the Jays in Game 1, but got the hook after allowing a solo homer to Cal Raley in the sixth and walking the next hitter. The controversial call haunted the Jays, who lost that game 3–1, with Gausman saddled with the loss.

However, you can bet he'll be at his best on Friday as the Mariners respond with their Game 1 starter (and Game 1 winner) Bryce Miller.

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