A heartfelt letter from an 8-year-old girl may have played a role in bringing veteran pitcher Max Scherzer back to the Toronto Blue Jays for another season.
Following Scherzer’s agreement to a one-year, $3 million contract on Wednesday, his wife Erica May-Scherzer shared a touching handwritten letter that their daughter Brooke had penned to the baseball team back in December. The youngster had asked her parents to send the note to Toronto, expressing her desire to see her father return to the Blue Jays.
The December 15th letter read: “Dear Blue Jays, I am so sorry that you didn’t win the World Series. I hope that you win next time. I hope my dad is back on the team. My whole family loves spending time in Toronto with our dad. We loved the aquarium, the (CN) Tower and of course the stadium. I am looking forward to come back next season. Love, Max Scherzer daughter”
The 41-year-old right-handed pitcher brings extensive experience to Toronto, boasting eight All-Star selections and a career record of 221-117 with a 3.22 ERA. Throughout his career, Scherzer has played for multiple teams including Arizona, Detroit, Washington, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Texas before joining Toronto. His 3,489 career strikeouts place him 11th all-time, just 20 strikeouts shy of Hall of Fame legend Walter Johnson.
During his previous stint with the Blue Jays last season, Scherzer compiled a 5-5 record with a 5.19 ERA across 17 starts and 85 innings pitched. He contributed to Toronto’s postseason run with three starts, including a standout performance in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series where the team defeated Seattle 8-2. Scherzer also took the mound for Games 3 and 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
