Blue Jays: Schneider doubles down on using Little in Game Five: 'I don’t think I made a mistake'

To his credit, what he is saying does make sense in terms of accountability on both ends of the game. Putting up limited run support in the postseason is a recipe for disaster, and the Jays had numerous chances to increase their lead on Friday but couldn’t find a way to buy a timely hit when needed.

However, he loses credibility when it comes to his decision-making at the time.

There indeed are many ‘what-ifs’ in the game of baseball, but Jays fans were quick to point out on social media that Little should not be used in this instance. The Jays employ Jeff Hoffman, who was paid big bucks this winter to show up and produce in these spots, and he was left on the bench to rot. The Jays also traded for Seranthony Dominguez, who was the arm they acquired to get these key outs down the stretch and into the postseason.

Admittedly, Dominguez contributed to the fallout that unravelled a couple of days ago, but an easy counterpoint could be made that had he started the inning instead of inheriting two runners on with zero outs after Little struggled, things may have shaken out differently. At least the decision to go to Dominguez would have made more sense in this situation compared to Little, who did not have the stats or analytics on his side to be brought in at that time, when it came to putting Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco into the right side of the batter’s box

The Blue Jays will be looking to take two at home over the next couple of days if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive. Schneider has already said that pretty much every arm will be available down in the bullpen tomorrow; however, hopefully, the management of said arms is better deployed this time around. Otherwise, the Jays will be watching the World Series from Cancun instead of the dugout.