None of that mattered once the first inning ended. Alejandro Kirk turned around a mistake for a two-run homer, and from there Scherzer took it from there and never let Seattle sniff the plate.
Scherzer worked seven innings on a one-hitter, striking out 10 — both season highs — and punched his ticket past Gaylord Perry into ninth on the all-time strikeout list along the way, notching his 3,535th career K against Cal Raleigh. Kazuma Okamoto added a solo shot in the sixth, his team-leading 28th of the year, before Toronto's bullpen closed out its 10th shutout of the season.
It's the kind of complete-game domination that flips a series storyline entirely. Seattle had split the difference with the bat against Toronto's rotation all year; Sunday, Scherzer made sure that never got tested.
Seattle heads out of Toronto having been outscored badly across the set, its lineup thinner than it's been most of the summer, while the Blue Jays leave with a signature statement start from a future Hall of Famer they need to be great, not just good, if they're going to make a real push.