Blue Jays’ Brandon Valenzuela sends ‘dad’ reaction to Max Scherzer’s praise

The Toronto Blue Jays are hanging tough in the postseason race, as they moved to 63-66 on the season following their 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. This was a solid bounce-back performance for the Blue Jays after some disastrous fielding let Max Scherzer down in a 7-6 loss on Wednesday.

Many have stepped up for the Blue Jays in the middle of their revival from a selling ballclub at the trade deadline to a dark horse to make the postseason. One of them has been rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who has taken on a larger role than many expected amid the team’s struggles this year. Valenzuela may not make much of an impact from the plate, but he is proving his worth as a game-caller at catcher — getting some love from Max Scherzer in the process.

“He’s doing a great job. He’s a crash course rookie here and yet he’s doing great things for me. I really enjoy throwing to him,” Scherzer said, via Lindsay Dunn of “6ix Inning Stretch Podcast”.

Max Scherzer has high praise for Blue Jays rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who’s been thrown into a “crash course” at the big-league level this season.

Valenzuela’s reaction to getting that praise from a future Hall of Famer? :
@6ixinningpod pic.twitter.com/ebdx3JMpFc

— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) August 20, 2026

In response, Valenzuela gushed over receiving this kind of praise from a widely respected veteran across MLB in Scherzer — someone who’s won everything there is to win in the big leagues, including a World Series title. The Blue Jays rookie even compared Scherzer to a father figure.

“I mean, it’s like when your dad says he’s proud of you. That’s what I feel. It’s pretty awesome,” Valenzuela said. “I respect him a lot. I got a lot of respect for what he has done in his career. It’s amazing,” Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela came on as a substitute for the Blue Jays on Thursday, grabbing a hit in his only at-bat of the night. On the season, Valenzuela has been a positive performer for Toronto, accumulating a positive fWAR total (1.8) on the strength of his defensive game behind the dish. Only 25, he has plenty of room to grow still.

The post Blue Jays’ Brandon Valenzuela sends ‘dad’ reaction to Max Scherzer’s praise appeared first on ClutchPoints.