Max Scherzer turned back the clock with a classic serve, and Andres Jimenez scored and drove in four runs as Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 8-2 on Thursday to tie the American League Championship Series at two games each.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his fifth homer this postseason and Scherzer, 41, allowed two runs in five and two-thirds innings for the Blue Jays, who topped the Mariners 21-6 in Seattle after losing their first two games at home.
The fifth game in the best-of-three series will take place on Friday. Kevin Gausman will start for Toronto against Game 1 winner Bryce Miller.
Scherzer, making his 500th major league start in the regular season and postseason combined, became the oldest pitcher to start a postseason game since Jamie Moyer was 45 for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 World Series.
The veteran right-hander had three hits, one of which was a solo home run off Josh Naylor in the second inning. Scherzer settled in after that and wasn't removed until coach John Schneider's second visit.
With two outs in the fifth, Schneider and Scherzer briefly exchanged words on the mound for the first time, and the three-time Cy Young Award winner seemed to tell Schneider he wouldn't leave the game at that point.
Schneider kept Scherzer in the game and quickly struck out Randy Arozarena with a curveball, one of six career-defining hits Scherzer hit with his curveball, before celebrating with his glove.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays offense picked up where it left off. after 13 points in the third game. Jimenez hit a two-run homer in the third inning for the second straight day, this time Luis Castillo's one-run single gave Toronto a lead they would not relinquish. The Blue Jays scored another run in the inning, chasing Castillo as pitcher Gabe Speier walked.
Toronto extended its lead in the fourth thanks to an RBI double from George Springer, who came in and scored on Matt Brush's wild pitch. Guerrero, who had singled earlier in the game, hit an opposite-field homer to straighten Eduard Bazardo in the seventh.
Guerrero is leading the team in homers this postseason.
Jimenez scored two insurance runs in the eighth with a two-run single up the middle that deflected off the glove of pitcher Emerson Hancock.
Miller has a 2.61 ERA in two playoff starts this October, while Gaustman, a two-time All-Star, is 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 career postseason games.
