Max Scherzer rolls back years as Blue Jays even ALCS with win over Mariners | MLB

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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his fifth home run of the postseason and Scherzer, 41, allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays, who topped the Mariners 21-6 in Seattle after losing the first two games at home.

Game 5 of the best-of-seven series takes place on Friday, with Kevin Gausman scheduled to start for Toronto against Game 1 winner Bryce Miller.

Scherzer, making his 500th major league start, regular season and postseason combined, became the oldest pitcher to start a postseason game since Jamie Moyer was 45 for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2008 World Series.

The veteran right-hander had three hits, including a solo home run by Josh Naylor in the second inning. Scherzer settled in from there and wasn’t removed until manager John Schneider’s second visit.

With two outs in the fifth, Schneider and Scherzer briefly exchanged words on the mound for the first time, and the three-time Cy Young Award winner seemed to indicate to Schneider that he wasn’t coming out of the game at that point.

Schneider left Scherzer in and he quickly struck out Randy Arozarena swinging with a curveball, one of six career-high whiffs Scherzer induced with his curve, before pounding his glove in celebration.

The Blue Jays offense, meanwhile, picked up where it left off after scoring 13 runs in Game 3. Giménez hit a two-run homer in the third inning for the second straight day, this one off starter Luis Castillo to give Toronto a lead they didn’t relinquish. The Blue Jays scored another run in the inning chasing Castillo when reliever Gabe Speier walked in a single.

Toronto added to its advantage in the fourth on an RBI double from George Springer, who came to score on a wild pitch from Matt Brash. Guerrero, who singled earlier in the game, hit an opposite-field home run to fix the seventh against Eduard Bazardo.

Guerrero leads the majors in postseason home runs.

Giménez scored two insurance runs in the eighth with a two-run single up the middle that deflected off the glove of reliever Emerson Hancock.

Miller has a 2.61 ERA in two postseason starts in October while Gaustman, a two-time All-Star, is 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 career postseason games.