With the conclusion of the L.A. Dodgers’ victory in Game 2, the World Series scene shifts to Southern California, where the Dodgers will host the Toronto Blue Jays for the next three games at Dodger Stadium with this best-of-seven series currently tied 1-1.

In Game 3 on Monday, L.A. is sending Tyler Glasnow to the mound opposite Toronto’s Max Scherzer. Glasnow is coming off a solid outing in Game 3 of the NLCS vs. the Brewers, in which he struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings and yielded one run. But Scherzer is the pitcher stealing the spotlight in this matchup, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman on the latest episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast.

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“And now with the proof of concept of Max Scherzer pitching well again and with some rest, and with we know what [he] looks like again, it is no guarantee,” Shusterman says. “But we can no longer just be like, ‘This dude stinks.'”

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Indeed, Scherzer did not stink in his lone appearance this October. He was impressive in 5 2/3 innings on the road against the Mariners in Game 4 of the ALCS. He didn’t dominate Seattle, but he was effective, striking out five while walking four and giving up two runs. Scherzer also showed some competitive fire that will undoubtedly be replayed on the Fox broadcast on Monday.

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“That was theater in every sense,” Shusterman says of Scherzer’s previous outing. Going into that ALCS Game 4, “there was very little reason for optimism with Scherzer, but doubt some of the greatest of all time at your own peril.”

Game 3 on Monday will, notably, mark Scherzer’s fourth time pitching in the World Series, all with different teams (2012 Tigers, 2019 Nationals, 2023 Rangers, 2025 Blue Jays). Still, there is reason to be leery of the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer, who had a volatile season in 2025.

“I’m skeptical enough in Scherzer that I believe the key to the game for Game 3 is not do the Blue Jays get the Dodgers’ starter out early,” Mintz says. “It is, can Max Scherzer survive? He does not need to dominate. He just needs to be competent.”

The matchup also comes with a dash of drama, as Scherzer is a former Dodger who didn’t quite endear himself to the fan base during his brief stint with L.A. in the second half of 2021 before he became a free agent.

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“I don’t want to say there’s animosity there, but I don’t think that Scherzer cherishes his time as a Dodger compared to the rest of his career,” Mintz says. “And I don’t think that Scherzer solidified himself as a Dodger legend in the two months that he spent with the team.

“I’m not trying to make this more than it is. Just more that this is not, ‘Man, he’s back. Miss that guy.'”

Even so, Mintz and Shusterman agree that Scherzer is the main character in Monday’s contest.

“I don’t think we expected him to command any level of spotlight,” Mintz says, reminding that Scherzer wasn’t on Toronto’s ALDS roster. “And now, all I’m looking forward to seeing is what Max Scherzer looks like against the Dodgers.

“It’s just an unbelievable development that nobody saw coming — except for Max Scherzer.”