A milestone in the middle of a grind
Max Scherzer went to work in Philadelphia and left with a piece of history. The right-hander punched out Kyle Schwarber to open the sixth inning, his fourth strikeout of the night, and that one moved him to 3,516 for his career. It carried him past Walter Johnson, the Washington great who finished on 3,515 and had held tenth place on the all-time list since retiring in 1927. Scherzer allowed two runs on five hits before Toronto lifted him. A steady night from a three-time Cy Young winner who now chases names on a leaderboard rather than trophies.
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Lukes settles it in the 11th
The game refused to end in nine. Trea Turner and Bryce Harper went back to back to pull the Phillies level, the sort of one-two that usually tilts a night in Philadelphia’s direction. Not this time. Nathan Lukes stepped in with two outs in the 11th, ran the count full against Chase Shugart, and drove a 3-2 sweeper into the seats in right. Two runs came home. Toronto led 7-5 and the margin held.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had carried the early load with a home run and two runs batted in, keeping the Blue Jays in front until the bullpen let Philadelphia claw back into it. The finish belonged to Lukes, a swing from the bottom of the order that flipped a night the Phillies looked ready to steal.
Where it leaves both sides
Toronto banked a road win in a park where late leads have a habit of slipping away. Scherzer, deep into a career that already points toward Cooperstown, keeps collecting the kind of numbers that outlast a single season. For Philadelphia, the Turner and Harper blasts will gnaw at them. They found the tying runs and could not land the last blow. The Blue Jays stay in the thick of a tight American League picture, and a bullpen that shook still handed the ball back with the game won.
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