Blue Jays closer breaks silence on World Series Game 7 meltdown vs Dodgers

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Mar 2, 2026 - 21:25

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Blue Jays closer breaks silence on World Series Game 7 meltdown vs Dodgers

In a new interview, Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman opened up about the lowest — and most recent — moment of his Major League Baseball career.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were down to their final two outs in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series when veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, hardly a slugger, hit Hoffman’s hanging slider for a game-tying home run.

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The game was still tied 4-4 in the 11th inning when a home run by Will Smith lifted the Dodgers to an improbable victory over the Blue Jays — and their second consecutive World Series title.

Hoffman blamed himself for the season-ending defeat after the game. Since then, he had not spoken about his ninth inning meltdown until Monday, when he caught up with Mike Wilner of the Deep Left Field podcast.

“Obviously I know that other things could’ve happened to change the outcome of that game,” Hoffman said. “In my head, I just feel like I had a chance to end it. I had a chance to be the one that got the last couple outs, and just came through and ended the whole thing. I think I’ll always feel that way. But at the same time I obviously understand the game of baseball. I understand it’s never just one play, or one at-bat, or one home run that ends the whole thing.

“It’s just the way my brain works. I was out there with a lead, I gave up that lead, and the game was tied when I left the game. So it’s just the way I’ll always feel and I’ll always strive to just be better in that moment.”

Hoffman said he would use the moment as fuel for the rest of his career.

After washing out as a starter with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds, Hoffman successfully reinvented himself as a high-leverage reliever with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2024, Hoffman made his first National League All-Star team with the Phillies. In 2025, his first regular season with the Jays, he went 9-7 with a 4.37 ERA and 33 saves as the team’s primary closer. No pitcher in MLB finished more games last year than Hoffman’s 59.

Even though it didn’t end well, Hoffman finished the postseason with a 1.46 ERA in 10 games (12.1 innings).