Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer rocked in first, injured in third in Toronto debut​on March 29, 2025 at 8:19 pm

There have been both bigger moments and better debuts for Max Scherzer, who on Saturday made his first start for the Blue Jays, the seventh big league team for the 41-year-old veteran.

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What started as a shaky outing in the latest career stop for the wily right hander ended in clear pain for the future Hall of Famer who hasn’t been able to stay healthy since 2023. On just his second pitch of the game, Scherzer allowed a towering home run to Orioles leadoff hitter Colton Cowser.

Three batter later it was Jordan Westburg’s turn to take the future Hall of Famer deep to set the O’s off to an early 2-0 lead.

Scherzer settled down after that with three-up, three-down innings but that work came with a price as well. After retiring Adley Ruschman on a high fly ball to centre field, Scherzer returned to the Jays dugout in obvious frustration.

While details weren’t immediately known, it’s widely suspected that Scherzer aggravated the thumb on his right hand that had been aggravating him throughout the spring.

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Scherzer was visibly upset in the Jays dugout as he talked with manager John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker. He was replaced by reliever Richard Lovelady who was rocked hard by the Orioles, allowing four runs in the fourth.

It’s certainly a cause for concern for the Jays, who signed the eight-time All Star to a one-year, $15.5 million U.S. deal in the off-season.

Scherzer was sailing along terrifically during spring training, looking in top form and shape in his first three Grapefruit League starts. But after the last of those outings, Scherzer suffered pain in his thumb reminiscent of one of the ailments that limited him to just nine starts last season with the Texas Rangers.

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Scherzer battled through it and after a fourth start down in Florida was pronounced ready to return and start the season as the Jays third starter. Speaking to Scherzer in Florida, however, it was clear that the two-time World Series champ was worried about the issue being problematic.

“My thumb hurts,” Scherzer said when discussing the injury in Florida. “It hurts to grip the ball. The more critical thing here is what I’ve learned over the years is that your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health.”

That would be the worst-case scenario for the Jays, of course, who expected Scherzer to be an important component of their veteran rotation.

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