It was October 30, 2019, and the Fall Classic was coming to a dramatic close in a winner-take-all Game 7. Max Scherzer, 34 years old and fueled by grit and cortisone, took the mound for the Washington Nationals. A team that had started 19-31 now stood just 27 outs away from baseball immortality.
That night became the greatest moment in Nats history.
Washington beat the Astros 6-2. Scherzer, pitching through neck pain so severe he couldn’t lift his arm days earlier, battled through five gutsy innings and left with Washington trailing 2-0. The bats came alive after he exited. Rendon. Kendrick. Soto. Champagne.
Fast forward 2,194 days. Another Game 7. Another unforgettable World Series. And standing on the mound once again was Max Scherzer.
Now 41 years old and wearing Blue Jays colors, Scherzer started Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Dodgers. It was the first World Series Game 7 since that magical Nationals run. This time, the outcome differed as Los Angeles edged Toronto 5-4 in 11 innings. Still, the moment felt full circle.
Two starts. Six years apart. Two classics. One legend.
Scherzer made history the moment he took the mound in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. At 41 years old, he became the oldest pitcher to ever start a Game 7, six years after his first appearance on that stage. Behind a different uniform, the same determined pitcher once again delivered.
Scherzer threw 54 pitches over four and one-third innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts. He exited with Toronto holding a 3-1 lead and received a standing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd as he left the mound. It felt like it could have been his last moment in the big leagues.
Scherzer, however, doesn’t see it that way.
“I’m 41 years old and I never thought I could love baseball this much,” he said after the game. “I just don’t see how that’s the last pitch I’ve ever thrown.”
Toronto lost the game in heartbreaking fashion. The Dodgers tied it in the ninth on a homer from Miguel Rojas and took the lead in the 11th on a go-ahead shot by Will Smith, winning Game 7 by a score of 5-4. Despite the Bluejays’ loss, Scherzer’s effort stood out as one of the night’s highlights.
Scherzer’s Game 7 start in 2025 draws some parallels to 2019. That year, he was scratched from his scheduled Game 5 start with a neck injury so severe he could barely move his arm. After receiving a cortisone shot, he fought his way back to start Game 7. He wasn’t at full strength but battled through five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three. Washington trailed 2-0 when he left the game.
The offense picked him up. Anthony Rendon hit a solo home run in the seventh, and Howie Kendrick gave Washington the lead with a two-run shot off the right-field foul pole. The Nationals added insurance in the ninth and won 6-2 to capture the franchise’s first championship.
Scherzer embraced his teammates emotionally on the field after the win and said, “I believed we were going to win. I just had to give us a chance.” Six years later, he gave the same chance to the Bluejays.
Two Game 7s. Two different stages of his career. Same approach.
Scherzer didn’t get the win in either game, but he did what elite pitchers are supposed to do, providing his team a real opportunity for victory. Only a few pitchers in baseball history have started multiple World Series Game 7s. Now Scherzer joins that elite list, and when the day comes, he will almost certainly enter Cooperstown as a National.
The 2019 Game 7 no doubt will remain one of the most iconic moments in franchise history and a highlight of Scherzer’s career. But his 2025 start with the Blue Jays was special too, despite the ultimate outcome of the game. He proved why he’s one of the best to ever do it, even past 40, still rising to the moment and delivering when it matters most.
It’s unclear what comes next for Max Scherzer as he enters free agency. But one thing is certain: he has nothing left to prove. His Hall of Fame résumé speaks for itself, and he can still compete with the game’s best. Best of luck to Mad Max wherever his next stop may be.