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Blue Jays’ John Schneider defends Jeff Hoffman’s legacy amid ‘unfair’ narrative appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
John Schneider is not letting one pitch define Jeff Hoffman’s time in Toronto. The Blue Jays manager pushed back on the narrative surrounding his former closer after the team traded Hoffman to the Minnesota Twins at the deadline, closing the book on a tenure defined as much by one gutting moment as it was by genuine excellence.
“I think it’s very unfair for Jeff Hoffman to be remembered by one pitch last year in Game 7,” Schneider told Sportsnet. “That unfortunately comes with Game 7 when you’re pitching the ninth inning.”
Schneider’s history with Hoffman runs deep, dating back to when the pitcher was drafted out of East Carolina.
“We go way back from when he was drafted initially at ECU. So you feel connected to him in a weird way,” Schneider said. “I think the world of him as a person. I feel like I’ve defended him to you and the entire country of Canada for the last 12 months, and I’ll continue to do that.”
The pitch in question came in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, when Hoffman surrendered a game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas with the Blue Jays two outs from their first title in over three decades. Los Angeles went on to win in extra innings. Hoffman lost his closer role to Louis Varland early this season after a rocky start, drawing boos from the home crowd before rebounding to post a 3.94 ERA over 51 appearances.
Schneider pointed to that resilience as what he wants remembered most.
“He was throwing the ball about as good as he has in his career the last couple months,” Schneider said. “It’s not an easy thing to get booed by your home crowd and go out and continue to perform the way he did and be the teammate that he was.”
Toronto acquired left-hander Dasan Hill, right-hander John Klein, infielder Dameury Pena, and international bonus pool space in return. As Hoffman begins a new chapter in Minnesota, Schneider made clear his respect for the reliever extends well beyond the box score.
“I got all the respect in the world for him, for his wife, for his kids,” Schneider said. “You wish him well.”
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