It's hard to have a more heartbreaking finish to the season than what the Toronto Blue Jays just endured in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Jays miraculously took two of three games in Los Angeles, setting them up with two chances in Games 6 and 7 to win their first title since 1993. After a baserunning error caused them to lose in Game 6, Jeff Hoffman and Shane Bieber each gave up a late solo home run to give the Dodgers a 5-4 victory.
The Dodgers showed their experience by winning their second consecutive championship. The veteran leaders didn't waver through all the adversity, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved worthy of his massive contract by shutting down Toronto's hot bats in three different appearances. The Blue Jays and their fans tasted victory on multiple occasions in Games 6 and 7, but the Dodgers just kept yanking it away at the last second.
The Jays are left with many questions. Will Bo Bichette sign long-term to stay with his long-time team? Will the front office go big-name hunting to attempt to return to the World Series in 2026? How can the team improve without losing the camaraderie that got them to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series?
Nevertheless, those are questions for another day. The only thing on fans' minds now is who to blame for the Game 7 loss, and whether they'll have to wait another 33 years to see their team in this position again.
Jeff Hoffman is an easy target for Blue Jays
Hoffman fought inconsistencies all season, but he was as rock-solid as possible for Toronto throughout the entire postseason. He had allowed just one run in nine appearances, which came in a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Jays fans had no reason to think that Hoffman was going to cost them the World Series.
Still, as Hoffman ran in from the bullpen with two outs in the top of the eighth, fans had nightmares of his past failures during this regular season. When he settled in immediately, those concerns were quickly quieted, but a showdown with Shohei Ohtani was quickly approaching. Most were planning for it to come with two outs at the top of the ninth, and, unfortunately, Hoffman and his catcher, Alejandro Kirk, might've also overlooked Miguel Rojas.
Hoffman had Rojas on the ropes with one out and a full count, but he had to give him a pitch to hit, with fear in the back of his mind that he would walk the No. 9 hitter and face Ohtani with a man on base and a one-run lead. Unfortunately, Hoffman hung a slider and Rojas deposited it into the Rogers Centre seats to tie the game.
Hoffman shouldered the weight of the loss after the game, telling reporters that he lost everybody on the team a World Series ring. However, Hoffman wouldn't have been in that position if the hitters had picked him up.
Blue Jays' hitters didn't get the job done
The Blue Jays went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position in Game 7. It was a disaster for a team that always seemed to get the clutch hit when they needed it this season. Whether it was Daulton Varsho grounding a ball to second with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, or Alejandro Kirk grounding into a double play with the tying run on third in the bottom of the 11th, the Jays had no shortage of opportunities to take home the title.
That isn't to take anything away from the Dodgers. Rojas made a great play to recover from a stumble on the Varsho groundout and throw Isaiah Kiner-Falefa out at home. Andy Pages also made a memorable catch on an Ernie Clement drive into the gap on the next batter, which could've easily landed for the game-winning hit. It also took a historic performance from Yamamoto to keep the Jays off the board in extra innings.
Shane Bieber has to take some of the blame
It wasn't an easy situation for Bieber to enter the game. The starter was on three days' rest, and if the previously mentioned things to blame hadn't happened, he could've kept his team jacket on and celebrated without factoring into the result. However, in a World Series Game 7, it is all hands on deck, and Bieber failed.
Bieber nearly got out of the 11th inning after forcing Rojas and Ohtani to ground out for two quick outs. All that was left to do was retire Will Smith to give the middle of his order a chance to win the game in the bottom of the inning, but he brutally hung a curveball, and Smith nearly put it in the same spot as Rojas' shot landed in the ninth.
There are plenty of mistakes to point to for the Blue Jays' World Series loss. While it's a disappointing end for Toronto fans, baseball fans had the privilege of watching one of the greatest final series in league history. Some of the Blue Jays' best didn't get the job done, but that takes nothing away from the memories that the team gave their country and MLB fans around the world.
