Blue Jays' Scherzer happy with health but not with loss after milestone strikeout

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer reacts during third inning MLB baseball action against Philadelphia Phillies in Toronto on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — A tough season continued for Toronto Blue Jays veteran starter Max Scherzer, who struggled in his return from the injured list in Wednesday’s 7-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Rogers Centre.

The right-hander surrendered five runs on five hits, including two home runs, with three walks and four strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings as his season earned-run average ballooned to 10.23 through six starts.

But Scherzer, who was making his first start since April 24, said he was at least encouraged that he felt good physically on the mound after missing 43 games with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.

“Definitely way better than it was in the beginning part of the year here,” Scherzer said. “Really could feel like I was getting through the fastball, and felt like the stuff was sharp.”

Scherzer’s outing began in historic fashion, as the 41-year-old recorded his 3,500th career strikeout in the first inning when he got Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber looking at a changeup. After the pitch, the Blue Jays posted a graphic displaying the achievement on the stadium video board, prompting a round of applause from the crowd as Scherzer became the 11th player in MLB history to reach the illustrious strikeout milestone.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the moment was “pretty cool to witness.”

After the game, Scherzer acknowledged the achievement, but said he would have preferred to have done it in a win.

“I came here to win today,” Scherzer said. “I’m not pitching for milestones. I’m pitching to win and win the whole thing, and so it’s great to get the milestones. It was the first batter of the game to get it. That’s great, but I think at a different point in time, I’ll celebrate it more.”

After Scherzer struck out the first two batters he faced, Bryce Harper followed with a solo home run that bounced on the top of the left-field wall before falling into Toronto’s bullpen.

In the third inning, Toronto appeared to complete a 3-6-1 double play on a ground ball from Harper, but the call was overturned after a review. Two batters later, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm hit a three-run home run that put the Blue Jays in a 4-0 hole.

“They’re a good team, they wore him down,” Schneider said of Scherzer’s performance. “It’s the homer to Bryce that hits the top of the wall twice, and I think just the slider to Bohm, probably (Scherzer) wants back. I thought he made some really good pitches and some really close pitches.”

Scherzer said he had a good feel for all his pitches but agreed that the Phillies made him work.

“You can have good stuff, and you can still get beat in this league. You’ve got to execute pitches. You’ve got to be ahead of the hitters, and they grinded me apart,” Scherzer said.

Looking ahead, Schneider said they’ll continue to evaluate Scherzer, and the hope is that, as he builds back into a routine that isn’t interrupted by injury, he’ll find his rhythm.

“You want to try to see what it looks like when he gets some consistent work and evaluate it then,” the Blue Jays manager said. “He’s earned that. I think that it’s the reason why we signed him back. You don’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions after an outing, after a month-plus off.”

As for Scherzer, he said he’s prepared to go back to the drawing board to get his season on track.

“Hopefully, next time out, I’m even better, taking another step forward,” he said. “I don’t make excuses. I’m here to win. That was it. Today was all about winning, and unfortunately, we lost it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press