Overview
- Scherzer says piano practice strengthened his fingers and eased chronic right-thumb pain after needling and cortisone shots failed.
- He was extremely close to retiring in early 2025 before taking up the instrument while teaching his children and seeking out hotel pianos on road trips.
- The relief preceded a late-season rebound that included three postseason starts for Toronto with a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 innings and one run allowed in 4.1 innings in World Series Game 7.
- He returned to the Blue Jays on March 2 on a one-year contract worth $3 million, according to reporting cited from The Athletic.
- He continues to play piano as the thumb becomes less of an issue and logged 13 2/3 scoreless innings in spring training.