TORONTO — As George Springer’s swat cleared the wall, Jeff Hoffman’s course became clear, too.
“I’m in,” he thought to himself. “I’m there.”
One inning later, there he was, on the mound at Rogers Centre for the biggest outs of his life and the biggest outs in a generation for this Blue Jays franchise and the country of Canada.
The 32-year-old Hoffman got those ninth-inning outs in a manner that looked effortless. Leo Rivas swinging. Dominic Canzone swinging. The great Julio Rodríguez swinging. After 17 pitches against the Mariners, it was over, and the Blue Jays’ American League pennant celebration began.
As the Jays head into the World Series against the visiting Dodgers on Friday night, they’ve got their closer pitching the best he has all year. It was a long, strange road that led Hoffman back to the franchise that drafted him more than a decade ago, and it was, in many ways, a long, strange season in which Hoffman’s performance often came under scrutiny.
But when the Blue Jays have needed him most, Hoffman has been there.
“He has been the epitome of someone who’s stuck with his stuff,” pitching coach Pete Walker said. “I know there was some harsh criticism for a while on him, from fans and media. But I give [manager] John Schneider and our staff credit for pushing him and giving him the ball consistently, because it’s paying off now.”
Hoffman first paid off for the Jays in an indirect way.
Taken with the ninth overall selection out of East Carolina University in 2014, the Latham, N.Y., native was thrilled at the time by the possibility of pitching close to home.
But just more than a year later, he was gone — the centerpiece prospect used to pry superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Rockies in a stunning 2015 swap.
That trade worked out well for the Blue Jays. Tulo helped them reach the ALCS in 2015 and ’16.
It didn’t work out as well for Hoffman, who was sent to the pitching graveyard of Colorado, where he put up an ERA over 6 across five seasons spent primarily as a starter before shifting to relief work.
“At that time, [the Rockies] didn’t exactly have the resources to better your arsenal,” Hoffman said. “They were late to the party on the Trackman and Rapsodo and all that stuff.”
So Hoffman was a late bloomer. He was traded to the Reds prior to 2021 and had two decent seasons in Cincinnati before truly coming into his own as an elite high-leverage reliever in 2023 and ’24 with the Phillies, who had initially signed him on a Minor League deal.
Following a 2.28 ERA and 33.4% strikeout rate in his time with the Phils, Hoffman was considered one of the top relievers in last winter’s free-agent market. But a potential deal with the Orioles fell through over concerns about the state of his throwing shoulder.
“There was never any bad blood there,” Hoffman said of the trade. “Out of the 30 teams, it’s funny how this is the one that wanted me back the most.”
The good vibes of the Hoffman signing were tested this year. Hoffman proved durable enough to make 71 appearances, and his 33 saves ranked fourth in MLB. But he had a 5.02 ERA entering September, primarily because of the 14 home runs he allowed in his first 57 1/3 innings.
Since the start of September, though, Hoffman’s been locked in. Counting the postseason, he’s allowed just two runs (and one home run) with 20 strikeouts in his last 18 innings. He’s converted all six save opportunities in that span.
“I’m happy,” said Walker, “when I see guys like that battle and come through for an organization, a city, a country. It’s just so awesome.”
Hoffman didn’t add a new pitch, change his arm angle or make any other wildly different adjustments for the home stretch.
To hear him tell it, it came down to his mentality.
“I knew what was coming, I knew October was in our future,” he said. “There were a lot of sleepless nights [this season], thinking about my plan the next day and what I wanted to accomplish. With October right around the corner, it was like, ‘You’ve either got to do it now or you’re going to die.’”
In a World Series in which both clubs are loaded with bullpen question marks, the performances of Hoffman for Toronto and Roki Sasaki for L.A. will play a major role in the outcome.
After all he’s been through — both to get back to the Toronto organization and then to reclaim his 2025 season — Hoffman embraces the challenge.
“It’s exactly what you want,” he said.
