The Toronto veteran was not masterful, but he channeled the grit of his youth—and a pitch no one expected—to pick up his first playoff win since 2019.

On Thursday night, he saw the dramatic scene on the mound in Seattle, when Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer barked at John Schneider as the Toronto manager went to have a conversation with the future Hall of Famer, debating a pitching change with a Mariners runner on in the fifth inning.

A fired-up Max Scherzer refused to come out of the game and got into an animated exchange with Blue Jays manager John Schneider in Game 4.

The manager made the mistake of asking the pitcher if he was still "good to go" the inning after his outburst on the mound.

From a leadership perspective, Blue Jays manager John Schneider's mound visit with pitcher Max Scherzer was revealing and fascinating.

In October, every pitch, swing, play and decision is heightened everywhere. On the field, in the dugout, in the game-planning meetings pregame and, more than any time or any other place, after the game is played out and the result of all those decisions are final.

Nothing is better than post-season baseball, the highs and lows, the overflowing emotions and pressure, and the nuances of the game on the center stage, unknowi