SEATTLE — Mad Max nearly had a month to fume, seethe and boil as he waited for his October opportunity.

Finally given the ball in the playoffs, he shut down the Seattle Mariners — and his own manager, too.

A fiery Scherzer turned back the clock with his vintage pitching performance and Andrés Giménez homered and drove in four runs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Seattle 8-2 to even the American League Championship Series at two games apiece.

The 41-year-old Scherzer, left off the Division Series roster against the New York Yankees while dealing with neck pain, showed he still had plenty left in the tank by allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

“This is what you play for,” Scherzer said. “You work so hard the whole year, make all the sacrifices, put all the work in to get to this moment to

See Full Page