Blue Jays Manager John Schneider has opened up about the lingering emotional fallout and the “what-ifs” that continue to haunt the team following their devastating 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
Speaking to the media at the Winter Meetings, Schneider was clearly still processing the defeat, which saw the Blue Jays come within two outs of clinching the title in the ninth inning. While he praised his team’s heart and effort, his comments, coupled with insider reports, hint at two critical decisions that could have flipped the outcome.
SCHNEIDER’S REGRETS AND DEFENSES
Schneider initially defended his players but acknowledged the pain of the razor-thin margins in the loss.
“We had our chances. We had our chances to beat them soundly. But we didn’t. And that’s baseball. I feel for the guys. This is a special group.”
However, insiders point to two highly scrutinized moments:
1. The Baserunning Calamity in the 9th
This decision is the most scrutinized “what-if” that haunts the team.
The Moment: Top of the 9th, score tied 4-4. Bases loaded, one out. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (pinch-running for Bo Bichette) was on third base. Daulton Varsho hit a sharp grounder to Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas, who fumbled momentarily before throwing home.
The Critical Decision: Kiner-Falefa was thrown out at the plate by inches, with the call being upheld on review. Schneider confirmed that Kiner-Falefa was following cautious instructions from the third base coach to take a short lead (reported at a very conservative $7.8$ feet) to avoid a back-pick by the Dodgers catcher, Will Smith, and to avoid being doubled off on a line drive.
The Regret: Schneider lamented that the coaching staff should have found a way to “get Izzy another step or two down,” acknowledging that a more aggressive lead would have likely scored the winning run and the championship.
2. The Bullpen Strategy in Extra Innings
The decision to use veteran Shane Bieber in the 11th inning is also a point of contention.
The Moment: With the score tied 4-4 in the top of the 11th, Schneider turned to the former Cy Young winner. Bieber quickly retired the first two batters. Then, Will Smith crushed a solo home run off a slider left over the plate.
The Question: Why wasn’t an unhittable reliever like Erik Swanson or Chad Green used, given that they had been rested? Bieber was acquired specifically for these high-leverage moments, but the decision is being spiraled over by fans wondering if the result would have been different with a fresh, high-velocity arm.
SPIRALING FANS AND THE WHAT-IFS
The devastating exit—which saw the team one out away from winning the Series before Miguel Rojas hit a game-tying home run off closer Jeff Hoffman in the 9th—has left the fan base spiraling over the tiny margins of the loss. The baserunning call, in particular, has become the single symbol of the championship that slipped away.
The entire team, and the city, is now left with the collective agony of the question: What if Kiner-Falefa had taken just one more step?
