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Last night, the Blue Jays had the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. They had to win and see at least two of the following teams lose: the Tigers, the Red Sox and the Guardians.
But as we can see, that didn't happen. There's no X next to the Blue Jays in the standings because the Red Sox and Guardians won… but also because the Toronto club ate a sincere one.
Max Scherzer made one of the worst starts of his career. In 0.2 innings of work, the veteran gave up seven runs to the Royals. He was unable to take advantage of a 1-0 lead (George Springer home run) and didn't finish the first inning.
Yet the pitcher claims to be healthy.
Of necessity, it was difficult for the Blue Jays' bullpen, which ate up innings. With the score at 10-1, Tyler Heineman came on in the game's seventh inning.
He gave up no less than 10 runs (which explains the 20-1 setback) and it was Isiah Kiner-Falefa who finished the game. They saved the club's bullpen a little by resting the real relievers, we agree.
In fact, at one point, we wondered if Jose Berrios was going to pitch a few innings. Why would he? Because the starting pitcher was spotted warming up in the relievers' bullpen.
One might have thought it was simply due to circumstances, but no: John Schneider said that, for the time being, the veteran had been sent to the relievers' bullpen.
José Berríos will be in the bullpen moving forward. He can still start, but the conversation happened. Schneider:
“He's a professional. There's a reason José Berríos is José Berríos. As uncomfortable as it is, I think he gets it. That's kind of where we are right now.” #BlueJays
– Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 20, 2025
The veteran may not be happy, but he's accepted the decision.
That may change, as Berrios remains a career starter. But because of his ugly season, the club has made a tough decision in the run-up to the playoffs.
To me, it's a big message: with the playoffs looming, the veteran doesn't belong in the rotation. So he joins Eric Lauer in the bullpen.
So, in view of a potential 3-of-5 division series, which four pitchers will have the mandate to pitch in the rotation? I'm talking about a 3-of-5 since the chances of the Blue Jays avoiding the best-of-second series are good.
The @BlueJays lost tonight, but so did the Tigers and Yankees.
So here are the Jays' new magic numbers:
-To qualify for the playoffs 3⃣
-To win the division 5⃣
-To get a bye 5⃣
-To finish 1st in the American League 5⃣ pic.twitter.com/fmWXJXhJLp– Jeremy Filosa
(@JeremyFilosa) September 20, 2025
In my eyes, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber are probably the two guys who should pitch the first two games of the playoffs. And after that, there are three options for two positions: Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Trey Yesavage.
Which guys will be the Blue Jays' picks?
I can see, under the circumstances, Bassitt getting his shot, and I think the Blue Jays would like Yesavage to show that he should be an option by pitching well tomorrow in KC.
As for Scherzer, let's just say that his latest outings remind us that he's getting on in years, so nothing is certain in his case.
The @BlueJays must absolutely determine whether the Royals saw something in Max Scherzer's pitch delivery, as in his start against the Yankees.
If so, they need to fix it immediately, or he can't be a playoff starter.
– Jeremy Filosa
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