TORONTO — Max Scherzer picked the right time to turn back the calendar.The 42-year-old right-hander produced a vintage performance on Sunday at Rogers Centre, moved up the record books and, perhaps most importantly, helped his club keep pace in its tight pursuit of a playoff spot.Scherzer captivated the sold-out crowd by striking out a season-high 10 batters, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-0 win over the Seattle Mariners that completed a three-game sweep. Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto powered the offence with home runs as the Blue Jays remained 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who hold the third wild-card spot and took on the Kansas City Royals Sunday afternoon.The seven-inning, one-hit, scoreless gem was Scherzer’s best start in a Blue Jays uniform, and with his punchout of Cal Raleigh in the seventh, the right-hander recorded his 3,535th career strikeout to move past Gaylord Perry and into the No. 9 spot on the all-time list.Scherzer is now 19 strikeouts behind former teammate Justin Verlander (3,554), who’s currently on the injured list and said he plans to retire at the end of this season. As Scherzer’s feat was displayed on the videoboard, the 19-year veteran received a standing ovation and stepped off the mound to acknowledge the fans’ cheers. Scherzer retired the next hitter, Josh Naylor, on a flyout to end the frame, and received another standing ovation as he walked off the mound and into a fired-up Blue Jays dugout. It was evident from the start that Scherzer had his A-stuff. He struck out the side in the first inning and was in complete control throughout his entire outing, with the only blemishes being a second-inning walk to Taylor Ward and a fourth-inning double by Raleigh. Scherzer recorded 17 whiffs, eight of which came off his four-seamer. The Blue Jays’ offence got on the board in the first inning when Brett Bateman drew a leadoff walk and Kirk smacked an 0-2 sweeper from Logan Gilbert over the left-centre field fence for a two-run homer. In the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added to the lead with a 108.5 m.p.h. RBI double past shortstop J.P. Crawford. Okamoto blasted his solo homer the next inning and the Blue Jays broke the game open with three runs in the eighth. The win capped a 4-2 homestand for the Blue Jays, who revived their season with an impressive 17-11 record in August. Up next is an off-day Monday followed by a pivotal three-game set against the Guardians at Progressive Field.