8-Year-Old's Letter Brings Baseball Dad Back to Toronto

When 8-year-old Brooke Scherzer picked up a pen in December to write the Toronto Blue Jays, she had one simple request: please bring my dad back.

The letter was equal parts adorable and persuasive. Brooke acknowledged the team's heartbreaking season, writing "I am so sorry that you didn't win the World Series." Then she made her case for why her father, three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, belonged back in Toronto.

"My whole family loves spending time in Toronto with our dad," she wrote. "We loved the aquarium, CN Tower and of course, the stadium."

Two months later, the Blue Jays answered her call. The team signed the 41-year-old pitcher to a one-year, $3 million deal, bringing him back for another season.

While Scherzer isn't the dominant force he once was, he showed last season he still has plenty to offer. He pitched 85 innings with a 5.19 ERA during the regular season, nearly double his previous year's workload. When the pressure was highest in the postseason, the future Hall of Famer delivered with a 3.77 ERA and a 1-0 record across three starts.

Sunny's Take

There's something magical about a child's honest voice cutting through the noise of contract negotiations and business decisions. Brooke's letter reminded everyone that baseball isn't just about statistics and salaries. It's about families spending summer evenings together, kids watching their parents chase dreams, and the memories made along the way.

The Blue Jays didn't just sign a veteran pitcher. They gave a little girl another season of CN Tower visits and stadium hot dogs with her dad. They showed that sometimes the best baseball decisions come from the heart, not just the spreadsheet.

Now Brooke gets what she asked for: more time in Toronto, watching her father do what he loves, with her whole family by his side.