Heartbreak strikes twice as Blue Jays’ magical season ends

After Hoffman retired Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith (who had a huge moment of his own to come later) to end the top half of the ninth, the Blue Jays’ resilience rose to the surface in the bottom half, like it has all year long. They strung together a pesky rally, loading the bases with just one out against Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who entered out of the bullpen after starting one day ago in Game 6.

But one of the best comeback teams from the regular season — leading the majors with 49 come-from-behind victories — came up short in Game 7, and by only an inch or two.

Rojas saved the Dodgers’ season twice in the same inning, making a sensational throw to home plate on Daulton Varsho’s grounder to nab Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The Blue Jays threw up a hail mary, though, hoping replay review would show that Smith’s right foot was in the air as Kiner-Falefa touched home.

But it was all for naught in the end.

Baseball is a beautiful game, sometimes decided by which team had more breaks fall their way. In Saturday’s winner-take-all Game 7, fate was not on Toronto’s side — it was on Los Angeles’.

One batter later, Ernie Clement — who, with three hits, broke Randy Arozarena’s record for most hits in a single post-season with 30 — nearly had a chance to be the hero, only for Andy Pages to jump in front of a twisted-and-turned Hernández to catch the final out of the ninth, adding another epic chapter to this unforgettable championship-clinching heavyweight showdown.

Still, even after Smith’s solo homer in the 11th, the Blue Jays had another chance to keep their Game 7 hopes alive. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started the last-ditch rally versus Yamamoto with a leadoff double, putting the tying run 180 feet away from home plate. Kiner-Falefa pushed him to third with a sac-bunt, and with Addison Barger drawing a one-out walk, they were in business as Alejandro Kirk stepped to the dish.

Heartbreak struck again just three pitches later, though, as Kirk grounded into a season-ending double-play, with the clock striking 12 on Toronto’s improbable World Series run — one that sparked fandom for a new generation of baseball fans — while celebrations began for Los Angeles, crowning them the sport’s first repeat champions since the New York Yankees (1998-2000).

All told, looking back over these final two games, it was a lack of execution in advantageous moments at the plate that proved to be the Blue Jays’ biggest downfall. In Games 6 and 7, their offence finished just 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position, stranding 22 baserunners. On Saturday alone, they left 14 runners on base — tying a World Series record alongside the 1924 New York Giants.

In the aftermath, this team held its first official meeting all season, where manager John Schneider had a message for his staff and players: “Thank you. I said thank you probably about 10 times.”

It won’t be the final time he speaks with them in 2025. But, after having their season end in one of the most epic Game 7s in World Series history, he made sure to let everyone know just how much he appreciated their efforts over the past nine months, going back to the start of spring training.

“This is a group that I’m never going to forget,” an emotional Schneider said post-game. “They’re going to have a place in my heart, every single one of ’em.”

We’ll eventually learn of the long list of injuries and ailments these Blue Jays players grinded through to be just two outs away from tasting playoff immortality. But that’s a story for another day. There’ll be plenty of time for those headlines soon.

Toronto was the better, deeper team in this year’s World Series. But sometimes, that isn’t enough. Unfortunately, they won’t have much time to sit with this pain. The one disadvantage to playing this deep into the calendar is that the off-season comes around very quickly.

Now that the Dodgers have lifted their second World Series trophy in as many seasons, free agency will open five days from now, and the Blue Jays’ brass will have plenty of pressing questions to answer.

First and foremost, it’ll all start with Bichette, who, after gutting out the final round of this year’s playoffs on one healthy knee, will become a free agent. But he isn’t alone. Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber (expected to opt out of his $16-million player option), Seranthony Domínguez, Ty France and Kiner-Falefa will also hit the open market.

Those are holes that’ll need to be filled if this organization hopes to build off this once-in-a-generation season. Along those same lines, they’ve also permanently moved the “goal posts” with this run. Simply sneaking into the playoffs won’t be good enough anymore. The expectations will be much, much higher from here on out.

“We have set a new expectation and a new standard here and did it with a lot of hard work, did it with a lot of cohesiveness, and man, it’s tough to say bye to this group,” Schneider said.

This season has changed what the Blue Jays stand for as a franchise. Moving forward into 2026 and beyond, anything short of being a top-tier threat in the American League will be a disappointment. And if they’re able to return to the post-season — that’s never a given from year to year in any professional sport — it’ll surely be championship or bust.

That’s the standard they set here. So, all they can hope for, between all the emotional tears and hugs, is that it fuels them throughout this rejuvenated competitive window.