"It was a script that Toronto Blue Jays fans had seen too many times before throughout the 2025 regular season. Closer Jeff Hoffman trying to lock down a game that felt necessary to win but couldn't get the job done. Hoffman had a good season for the Blue Jays but he also had had one real weakness. In the biggest moment of the year, in a spot that was 32 years in the making, the weakness reared it's ugly head one more time,"
"In nine games out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays, Hoffman was brilliant. He threw 11 innings, giving up just five hits and allowed just one earned run, while walking four and striking out 16. His ERA was a miniscule 0.82 and his WHIP sat at 0.818. It was a continuation of his brilliant work down the stretch for the Blue Jays."
Jeff Hoffman served as the Blue Jays' closer in 2025 but carried a notable weakness: a high rate of home runs allowed during the regular season. He allowed 15 homers, the most by any reliever in 2025. Hoffman dominated late in the year and into the postseason, posting a 0.82 ERA and 0.818 WHIP across nine playoff appearances and showing excellent control and strikeout ability. That strong run built confidence through the first two postseason rounds and most of the World Series. The long-standing home-run vulnerability resurfaced in Game 7 and ultimately cost the Blue Jays the championship.
Read at Jays Journal
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]