On hand this past Wednesday evening was Max Scherzer, there as Washington blanked Toronto's Maple Leafs.
A former ace of the Nationals, the 41-year-old settled in alongside George Springer — a teammate of his with the Jays — up in a Scotiabank Arena suite. A month earlier, the pitcher had let the Sun in Toronto know of his wish to be present, since the contest loomed as a possible final stop in the city for Alex Ovechkin.
In March remarks given to the outlet Leafs Nation, Scherzer noted that one date jumped out as he looked over the schedule — the evening he'd circled, when Washington came to town — and said he was set on figuring out how to be present, eager to see the Russian one final time in person.
Pulling it off proved feasible because the Jays had played Los Angeles' Dodgers earlier that day inside Rogers Centre, a ballpark a mere five-minute walk from the rink. The pitcher, a winner of three Cy Young Awards, is presently working through some injury concerns too, having departed a Monday outing against L.A. early, having thrown a scant 36 pitches over two frames.
According to Toronto, Scherzer is contending with tendinitis in the right forearm, yet he's been given the green light to start versus Minnesota's Twins come Sunday. The veteran had begun the year nearly in peak form, tossing six innings while surrendering four hits and a single run as the Jays beat Colorado's Rockies by a 5-1 count to close out March.
Even when watching a hockey game, Mad Max looks locked in 😅 pic.twitter.com/zV63u0d5t1 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 9, 2026
It hardly surprises that Scherzer would hope to catch the captain in action, given that the two Cooperstown-bound icons of the DC sports scene became friends after each had a hand in bringing the region consecutive championships, one in the 2018 calendar year and the other twelve months on. In one memorable instance, Scherzer and fellow Nationals great Ryan Zimmerman, both dressed head-to-toe in hockey gear, fired up the home faithful inside Capital One Arena before that Cup Final's fourth game.
The captain reciprocated amid Washington's baseball run in 2019, tossing a ceremonial opening pitch before the fourth game of that NLDS.
Scherzer captured a further championship alongside Texas in the 2023 season, and he made another Fall Classic with Toronto a year ago, though that bid fell short. The Jays welcomed the intense competitor back this past March via a one-year pact valued at $3 million.