The Cincinnati Reds ended the 2026 regular season with a 5-1 loss to Toronto on Sunday, finishing 75-87, last in the NL Central; both clubs missed the playoffs. Max Scherzer struck out seven and pitched into the eighth on 114 pitches for the Blue Jays.
The article said Scherzer may have thrown his final big-league pitch; the outing moved him just behind Justin Verlander on MLB's all-time strikeout list. Elly De La Cruz reached 30-30 and heads into arbitration after what the writer called his best overall season. Sal Stewart's late slump left him short of the RBI lead, and the writer said another player would likely win NL Rookie of the Year. Hunter Greene effectively missed 2026, and the writer said he would effectively—but not definitively—miss all of 2027.
Cincinnati's pitching staff entered the final game ranked second-worst in MLB for expected ERA, while its 91 wRC+ was in a three-way tie for the league's lowest. The team also ranked among the worst in several defensive statistics. The writer said a radical overhaul by the club's decision-makers did not appear likely.
