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Toronto Blue Jays Defeated By Cincinnati Reds in Penultimate Game
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- Toronto Blue Jays Defeated By Cincinnati Reds in Penultimate Game
After a thrilling comeback win at the Rogers Centre on Friday night, the Toronto Blue Jays couldn't repeat the performance on Saturday, falling 5-1 against the Cincinnati Reds .
With the loss, the Jays are 78-83. They are one of the most disappointing teams in the majors just one year after getting to the World Series in 2025. They entered the season with championship aspirations, but injuries and offensive woes doomed them severely.
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In this game, Trey Yesavage earned the start, giving up one run on two hits over two innings. He took the loss to finish the year at 5-6 with an ERA of 3.69.
It was an incredibly frustrating year for him, as he took two turns to the injured list: One for right shoulder impingement and one for a left meniscus issue. He only threw 97.2 innings. He'll come back in 2027 alongside Jose Soriano and Dylan Cease as the leaders of the rotation.
Offensively, the Blue Jays got only five hits in this game, including a double by Brett Bateman and Josh Smith . Andres Gimenez had the only RBI, his 59th of the season. The Blue Jays, who have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Rhett Lowder earned the win for the Reds, going six innings. He'll finish the year at 7-12.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Sean Keys (20) comes off the field after being stranded on base against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The final day
The regular season will finish out on Sunday when these two teams wrap up their seasons. It's been a disappointing year for both teams, as the Reds also made the playoffs in 2025. They are now 75-86 under manager Terry Francona.
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Max Scherzer will take the ball for the Blue Jays, potentially in the final start of his career, although he hasn't decided if he's going to retire just yet.
A 19-year veteran of the Arizona Diamondbacks , Tigers, Washington Nationals , Los Angeles Dodgers , Mets , Texas Rangers and Blue Jays, Scherzer has gone 224-126 for his career. An eight-time All-Star, he's also a three-time Cy Young winner and a two-time World Series champion (2019, 2023). He's led his league in wins in four different seasons and reached the 20-win mark twice. He also led his league in complete games three times and innings twice. He led in strikeouts three times, also hitting the 300 mark in 2018.
He reached the 3,550 career strikeout mark in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles . He'll have a chance to bring in a few more on Sunday.
