WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Max Scherzer, for one night at least, offered a throwback performance.
He stifled Athletics hitters for five innings on Friday night before finally running into some trouble in the sixth, but even then he limited the damage before exiting in a 7-6 Toronto victory.
Scherzer (1-0) finished with eight strikeouts while allowing five hits.
“He was dominating areas up and down and out,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He is who he is for a reason.”
Scherzer claimed his first victory since July 25 last year when he pitched for Texas and the Rangers defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-1.
Injuries didn't help. The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened last season on the injured list after undergoing back surgery. Then shortly after recording that victory against the White Sox, he spent more than a month on the IL because of shoulder fatigue.
Scherzer signed a $15.5 million, one-year contract with the Blue Jays in the offseason, but again experienced health issues. He went on this 60-day IL because of an injured thumb.
“My body's good,” Scherzer said. “As long as my thumb is healthy, I can be myself. I can pitch like this. It's all about my thumb.”
This was his fourth start since rejoining the rotation, and Scherzer made the most of it. He struck out five consecutive batters at one point and shut out the A's over five innings, allowing just singles to Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom. The A's began to get to Scherzer in the sixth, with Kurtz hitting a two-run home run and Soderstrom getting a solo shot.
Those homers cut the Blue Jays' lead to 7-3, but Scherzer induced a flyout to Miguel Andujar to end the threat.
“It's my first time at 90 pitches, lengthening my arm out for the first time to the sixth inning this year," Scherzer said. “Get acclimated to that pitch count and hopefully get rolling. I'm happy about this, especially when we win. When I get my chance after the (All-Star) break, keep this going.”
Schneider said he thought the break came at a good time for the 40-year-old Scherzer.
“Hopefully, he can build off of this and get him out there pretty regularly,” Schneider said. “I think reshuffling the rotation if we can to give him a little more rest would be great. I'll take him on the mound any day of the week.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer throws to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer throws to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer throws to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 11, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Chelsea was back on the coaching carousel under its American ownership on Thursday after Enzo Maresca left his position as manager following a reported deterioration in his relationship with the Premier League club’s hierarchy.
There was no immediate announcement regarding the successor to Maresca. The BBC and The Athletic reported that Liam Rosenior, who coaches French team Strasbourg — a club in the same ownership group as Chelsea, is a leading contender.
Maresca was midway through his second year in charge, having won the Conference League and Club World Cup in his first season at Chelsea.
However, the team has endured a turbulent last few months — Chelsea has won just one of its last seven Premier League matches to drop to fifth place — while Maresca publicly expressed his unhappiness at a lack of support at the club in a post-match news conference on Dec. 13, when the Italian said he had just experienced his “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football," Chelsea said in a statement, "Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”
Chelsea has advanced to the English League Cup semifinals, where it will play Arsenal over two legs, and begins its FA Cup campaign away to second-tier Charlton on Jan. 10. In the Champions League, Chelsea is in 13th place in the 36-team league, two points off the eight automatic qualification spots with two rounds of matches left.
Chelsea is seeking a fifth full-time manager since the takeover of the club by American investors, fronted by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.
In the past 3 1/2 years, Chelsea has spent hundreds of million of pounds (dollars) in what looked from the outside a chaotic bid to sign players to refresh its squad. It now has one of the youngest and most talented squads in the Premier League, with star players including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao, but managers have struggled to get the players to gel as a team after so many changes.
Out of all the managers to have led Chelsea in that period — and they include Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the current coaches of England and the United States, respectively — Maresca appeared to have handled the chaos the best.
Yet he reportedly didn’t feel appreciated given the tough working conditions and, according to the BBC, recently switched agents. A few weeks ago, media reports in England linked Maresca with a possible move to Manchester City — where he briefly worked under Pep Guardiola — should Guardiola eventually leave, though Maresca played the reports down.
Chelsea’s results have taken a downturn since a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November.
The team’s only league win in the past month was over Everton, 2-0. There have been draws with Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and losses to Leeds and Aston Villa.
Its next game is at plays second-place Man City on Sunday.
Chelsea said its achievements under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Chelsea, in Bergamo, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca sits on a bench ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)
Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca, left, gives instructions to Estevao during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Bournemouth in London, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
