The Blue Jays are calling on some experience to get them through Game 3 of the World Series.
Max Scherzer will get the nod for the Toronto Blue Jays as the World Series shifts to Los Angeles on Monday, with fellow righty Shane Bieber set to go for Game 4 on Tuesday, manager John Schneider announced.
Scherzer, 41, last took the ball in Game 4 of the ALCS in Seattle against the Mariners, pitching 5.2 innings of two-run ball and striking out five to help the Blue Jays earn the win. It’s been his only appearance so far this post-season.
It marked a return to the mound for the 41-year-old, who was left off Toronto’s roster for the ALDS.
“It was really about getting fully healthy, getting over all the little ailments I had so that I could be getting through the ball again and throwing the ball as well as I can,” Scherzer explained of how the time off benefited him. “So yeah, I used that time in the Division Series to get fully healthy and it felt like that benefited me.
“So ready to go out there and compete in Game 3.”
The three-time Cy Young winner already has four Fall Classic appearances to his name and has a 1-0 record in those outings with a 3.26 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. He made his first World Series start in 2012 against the San Francisco Giants while a member of the Detroit Tigers.
In his lone season with the Blue Jays, the two-time World Series champ has a 5-5 record with a 5.19 ERA and 1.294 WHIP in 17 starts.
“I think just looking at not having too much of a layoff with Max from his last outing, but still giving him some rest,” Schneider explained of the rotation swap. “Him pitching in that environment that’s going to be a lot of hoopla, Game 3, much like yesterday‚ or any game this series.
“He’s pitched in that stadium. It keeps him available for Game 7.”
Scherzer, of course, pitched for the Dodgers during the 2021 regular- and post-season, helping Los Angeles advance to the NLCS.
“It’s the ultimate chess game,” Scherzer said of facing players he used to share a clubhouse with. “They’re making moves. I’m making moves. That’s just baseball. But it’s been like that for years for me now. I understand how everybody wants to attack me, how I want to attack them. At the end of the day, you got to go out there and compete and you got to throw strikes.”
Bieber, another former Cy Young winner, has started Game 3 in both the ALDS and ALCS. Additionally, he took the mound to begin Game 7 of the latter series against the Seattle Mariners.
“Looking at Shane, (we) wanted to give him an extra day,” Schneider said. “What he has done coming off Tommy John 18 months later, I think, is probably best-case scenario in terms of what he’s been doing and how he’s recovering.”
Across 12.1 post-season innings, Bieber holds a 1-0 record and 4.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts and three walks.
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Watch the Blue Jays in the World Series on Sportsnet
The World Series shifts to California as the Toronto Blue Jays look for their first title in 32 years against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Watch Game 3 on Monday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
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His best outing came in Game 3 against the Mariners, when he recovered after a two-run first inning to pitch six strong in a pivotal Blue Jays victory.
The 30-year-old underwent Tommy John Surgery last season and was traded to the Blue Jays from the Cleveland Guardians at the trade deadline before appearing in a single game this season.
He made his return on Aug. 22, his Blue Jays debut, and went on to post a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Tyler Glasnow will start Game 3, and two-way star Shohei Ohtani will take the ball in Game 4.
The Blue Jays lead the World Series 1-0 after an 11-4 rout in Friday’s Game 1. Live coverage throughout the series will be available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, with first pitch for every game set for 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
