Latest news with #BlueJays'
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Alejandro Kirk delivers Blue Jays' walk-off win off former teammate Jordan Romano
Get the latest from Frank Zicarelli straight to your inbox Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk celebrates his walk off RBI with teammates Bo Bichette, Jonatan Clase, Jeff Hoffman, and Brendon Little against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at the Rogers Centre on June 4, 2025 in Toronto. Photo by MARK BLINCH / GETTY IMAGES The night was short on runs, but high drama set in Wednesday as the Blue Jays and visiting Phillies battled in the second game of their three-game series. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A homer fueled Philadelphia's run, while the Blue Jays were bolstered by a triple to draw even. Games of this nature that only get tighter the deeper the evening goes are nothing new to the Blue Jays, who either step up in the biggest of moments or succumb to an opponent. Make no mistake because this loomed as a big series for the Blue Jays and an even bigger game as it turned out given the horrific events of the series opener. To add spice to the evening, a battle of closers would ensue with Jeff Hoffman being summoned from the bullpen with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Jordan Romano entered the game for the visitors to begin the bottom of the inning as the Markham native faced his former team for the first time. It made for a compelling ending, one of the best of the season and arguably one of the best played games, despite the lack of scoring. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Alejandro Kirk hit his walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Romano, no one will remember the paucity of runs. What they'll remember is Kirk's heroics in helping the Jays to their 2-1 win. The following are three takeaways on a night Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in the ninth to extend his on-base streak to 34 games and promptly stole second base before crossing home plate to score the game-winning run. 1. Berrios in survival mode At least Jose Berrios got out of the first inning without yielding six runs, a fate that befell embattled Bowden Francis, who couldn't even make it out of the second inning Tuesday night. Like Francis, Berrios has been prone to serve up home runs. He's nowhere near as homer-susceptible as Francis, but Berrios did yield a solo blast to Nick Castellanos as the Phillies jumped out first. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Berrios was making his 13th start of the season. The homer to Castellanos was the 11th dinger surrendered by Berrios this season. He ran into trouble in the fifth inning when Berrios faced a bases-loaded situation with out. Up stepped leadoff hitter Bryson Stott, who forced a full count. Berrios got Scott to pop out to third base. Then came Trea Turner, who homered twice in Tuesday's win. Berrios got Turner to fly out to right field. It was a big sequence for Berrios at a time when the inning could have gone sideways, a big moment that kept the Jays competitive. Berrios would complete six innings to earn the no-decision. 2. Addison rises From right field to playing the hot corner, the ever-fluid positional change for Addison Barger continues. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Regardless of position, Barger has a rocket for an arm. As long as he's exercising proper judgment, any opposing runner is liable to get thrown out. Barger entered the second game of a three-game series against the Phillies having hit a home run in four successive games. He hit third in the lineup with Kirk slotted in the cleanup spot. In his first at-bat, Barger, as he often does, took a big-boy hack on a swinging strikeout. In his second, Barger hit a routine fly ball to right field that was easily secured for the out. In his third at-bat, Barger came to plate with two outs and a runner at third in a 1-1 game. Barger struck out swinging. With the winning run at second, Barger struck out yet again in the ninth inning. 3. Line in the sand Manager John Schneider seems bent on moving the chess pieces on the board that is the Jays' lineup. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. One night after Davis Schneider provided the team with its first hit of the game and would later go deep to record his first homer of the season, Schneider was not in the starting lineup. A player has a good outing and one would figure said player deserves to keep, or at least attempt, the good vibes moving forward. Wednesday's outfield configuration featured Alan Roden in left, Jonatan Clase in centre and Nathan Lukes in right. For the second time since he was activated off the injured list, Andres Gimenez hit ninth in the order. It's far too premature to make any definitive judgment on Gimenez, but his time in Toronto has not gone well, which is stating the obvious. Two-thirds of Toronto's bottom of the order entered the night hitting below .200 in Roden (.176) and Gimenez (.191). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. After his second hit on the night, Gimenez raised his average to .203 and would come around to score on a Bo Bichette one-out triple in the sixth inning. Read More Up next The series finale pits two starters who have each earned five wins; in the case Chris Bassitt, the Jays are hoping their veteran right-hander bounces back from a poor outing against the Athletics; even though Bassitt was credited with the win, he did give up five runs in five innings; his Philly counterpart, lefty Jesus Luzardo, was simply horrible in giving up 12 runs in 3.1 innings against Milwaukee in his most recent start. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Celebrity Canada Columnists Canada Toronto & GTA
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Jeff Hoffman's bond with Phillies endures: He'll always have a piece of Philly — literally
TORONTO — This is Jeff Hoffman's home now, the result of a $33 million deal he scored after resurrecting his career as a late-inning revelation with the Phillies. He golfed with some of his former teammates Monday afternoon before they all took their wives to a sushi dinner. The Phillies miss Hoffman, and he misses them, too. That's how it works. Advertisement So, as he strolled into the luxurious Blue Jays' clubhouse Tuesday afternoon before facing the Phillies, he laughed. There it was — a ragged, green Philadelphia street sign. HOFFMAN AVE. It had hung for months in a hallway adjacent to the Phillies' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. It was still there last weekend, long after Hoffman had departed via free agency. No one from the Phillies said a word about the street sign during their daylong reunion with Hoffman. He assumed it was gone. 'It was in my locker this morning,' Hoffman said. He grinned. 'I don't know.' Hoffman has said he'll always carry a piece of Philadelphia with him — he holds no grudges for the Phillies never coming close to the various contract offers he received last offseason — but he meant that figuratively. Not literally. The sign's origin is why Hoffman felt a kinship in the city where he tossed 118 2/3 innings with a 2.28 ERA. A few Phillies people accidentally discovered Hoffman Ave. — a small road in West Philly near Cobbs Creek Park — early in the 2024 season. Someone dared someone else to procure a sign for Hoffman. But he had to do something to earn it. They all settled on this: If Hoffman made the National League All-Star team, it would happen. He did it. The sign soon appeared last summer in the Phillies' clubhouse. Hoffman, 32, can be petty. Sassy, even. Phillies personnel used to joke that he had to pitch whenever they were facing a team that Hoffman felt had slighted him in some manner. He felt none of that this week as the Phillies came to Canada. 'I'm really thankful and grateful for the opportunity they gave me,' Hoffman said. 'That allowed me to do what I have done, come here and make some money, and put my family in a great position to be successful moving forward. I owe a lot of that to them. I definitely wouldn't be here without that.' He could have still been here. Hoffman made it clear he preferred to return to the Phillies. But he wanted to be paid, and it was evident from the beginning of the offseason that the Phillies were not in the same ballpark. 'We tried to sign Hoffman, very aggressively, right?' said Dave Dombrowski, the club's president of baseball operations, in April. Hoffman did not characterize the discussions like that. He had a hint during last season, when Hoffman said his agency 'asked a couple of different times' about an extension with the Phillies, and the talks led nowhere. Advertisement 'I did definitely want to be back, and the offseason was kind of crazy,' Hoffman said. 'It was a lot of negotiating and not negotiating and down periods, and then getting back into it with a different team. Every step of the way, (the Phillies) were pretty light. It was pretty clear early on that they weren't going to be in the right type of competitive market that we were looking for.' There was no communication between the sides, multiple league sources said in April, after the Phillies signed Jordan Romano to a one-year deal on Dec. 9. Hoffman had multiple offers — one with the Atlanta Braves and another with the Baltimore Orioles — that fell apart because of issues with his physical examinations. The Phillies had opportunities to re-engage. Hoffman did not sign with Toronto until Jan. 10. His first two months with the Blue Jays were inconsistent. He posted a 1.10 ERA with 23 strikeouts and two walks in a dominant 16 1/3 innings to begin the season. But he's allowed five homers in 10 innings since, giving him a 5.81 ERA in 2025. Toronto has continued to use Hoffman as its closer. The Phillies lack swing-and-miss stuff in their bullpen and will assuredly be shopping for another reliever at the trade deadline in July. Maybe a long-term deal with Hoffman was too risky. Nevertheless, the Phillies must use prospect capital this summer to fix the bullpen. Maybe they would have been doing that even if Hoffman were still around. Matt Strahm, Hoffman's closest friend on the Phillies, said the two had a long discussion after last October's disappointing National League Division Series exit. That was the last time Strahm intervened on Hoffman's free agency. 'That's a big life decision, so I stayed away from it,' Strahm said. 'That's for him and his family to decide. You earn the right to be able to do what he was doing last offseason. … I know he wanted to be here, but at the end of the day, he's got four kids to take care of. That's part of it.' Strahm wasn't among Monday's golf and sushi crew, so on Tuesday morning, he texted Hoffman. 'I asked,' Strahm said, 'if we were playing catch in center field at 4 o'clock.' The two were inseparable as Phillies; Strahm and Hoffman were catch partners who parlayed tremendous 2024 seasons into All-Star nods. They have continued to talk a lot despite no longer sharing a clubhouse. Advertisement 'It was bittersweet seeing him leave,' Strahm said. 'But he got paid, so that's good.' Orion Kerkering, who considered Hoffman a mentor, said he was excited to talk trash. 'Of course,' Hoffman said. 'There's never a dull moment with him.' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he sent Hoffman a message as soon as the news of his signing broke. 'Thanked him for everything he did and wished him all the best,' Thomson said. 'He's a good man.' Hoffman said this whole thing was 'weird' because there wasn't much reconnecting he had to do with the Phillies in town. 'We've stayed pretty close,' he said. He'll check the box score every night to see who pitched and what they did. It is easy, Hoffman said, to stay in touch with guys he liked. 'It's part of this game,' Strahm said. 'I've been in it long enough now. Jeff's one of those true friends. Ten years from now, when I'm driving through Florida, I'm going to have to pick up the phone and see what Jeff and Marissa (his wife) are doing.' It is Strahm's 10th season in the majors. He could count on one hand how many guys he's had that sort of relationship with. They did not know each other before Hoffman came to the Phillies on a minor-league deal and morphed into one of the better relievers in baseball. They will always have that. 'It's good to see him,' Strahm said. 'Sucks that he's gone.'
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
How a Blue Jays prospect is throwing more strikes: cleaner mechanics and clearer vision
ARLINGTON, Texas — Gage Stanifer had undergone vision tests before, but nothing like this. He wasn't reading out progressively smaller lines of letters or following a moving finger. Instead, the Blue Jays pitching prospect sat in a chair during his 2025 spring training physical, asked to put on a pair of goggles and relay the order of three shining lights. Advertisement He should've seen green, red and blue flashes, but couldn't pick up a single one. As Stanifer wrapped up the annual vision test, he was asked to stay behind. That's when the command-challenged prospect was told he had astigmatism, an imperfect curvature in one of his eyes. The fix was simple — he needed glasses. 'Things were definitely more clear,' said Stanifer, who is already throwing more strikes this season. 'I guess there was no hesitation in the vision so it's just a little bit easier for me to focus my eyes on the target.' Last year, Stanifer threw 56 percent strikes with the Dunedin Blue Jays, walking 50 batters in 59 2/3 innings. Looking back, Stanifer felt his eyes weren't quite firing at the same time. He struggled to pick up the movement on pitches or focus on the catcher's glove. But this spring, in his first bullpen session wearing glasses, Stanifer hit the zone on 80 percent of throws. The right-hander had a headache after the session, but the catcher's mitt was now a crisp target. If it sounds like the type of storyline straight out of a 1980s baseball movie, that's because it is. Stanifer's eyesight revelation is basically the tale of Charlie Sheen's character in Major League — Ricky ''Wild Thing' Vaughn got glasses and proceeded to dominate. The difference in Stanifer's story is all the work that came before the vision fix. Blue Jays pitching coaches and coordinators were already quietly excited for the right-hander's 2025 campaign, optimistic he could become the type of high-upside pitching development story the organization needs. After posting a 6.33 ERA in his first two seasons in Toronto's low minors, Stanifer entered this year with raised velocity, improved secondary pitches and cleaner mechanics. The contact lenses — Stanifer eventually switched off glasses for comfort — were an unexpected bonus. The result has been one of the fastest rises in the Blue Jays' farm system, with Stanifer posting a 1.64 ERA, filling the zone and earning an early promotion. Advertisement Greg Vogt, director of the Indiana-based baseball development company PRP Baseball, has worked with Stanifer since he was a big-bodied high schooler with fleeting command. Back then, Stanifer was a borderline draft pick, striking out 183 batters in 90 innings across his final two years at Westfield (Ind.) High School. The 60 walks and sporadic stuff held him back. Since Toronto took a chance on Stanifer in the 2022 draft's 19th round, he has spent three years trying to up his stuff and keep it in the zone. Bouncing in and out of the Blue Jays' pitching lab, Stanifer used weighted balls, water bags and held a football under the glove arm to tighten his action to the plate. He's thrown from varying distances to hone command, focused in the weight room and used mound sensors called force plates to find efficiency in his push to home plate. With a long stride and a short arm action — a combination Vogt compared to Spencer Strider's — syncing up Stanifer's top and bottom halves was a challenge. In the final days of the 2024 season, the 21-year-old's new mechanics began to affix as muscle memory. The comfort and confidence only built in the offseason. 'He's not a fun guy to play catch with,' Vogt said. 'People wonder why the fastball is pretty invisible, it's like that in catch. It hurts your hand and it's one of those fastballs that when he's yanking it and spraying, it's really not fun. Until he got to the point where his catch play was just locked in.' Vogt and Stanifer saw the results all winter — an uptick in velocity, better command and sharper action on his slider and splitter. Two MLB pitchers Stanifer worked out with at PRP, Tim Herrin and Jared Hoeing, joked the young righty's stuff looked ready for a big league bullpen. 'It was like holy cow,' Vogt said. 'This guy was sitting 95 for strikes with a slider that just goes down the drain in the last five feet. Guys can't hit it and we were starting to dial those in.' Advertisement Vogt tried to downplay Stanifer's strides, not wanting the young pitcher to get too far ahead of himself entering the season. 'Don't try to show them you're big-league ready this minute,' he told Stanifer. The message was to stick to routine and throw strikes. Then Vogt got a text from a Blue Jays minor-league coach before spring training: 'We fixed Gage.' The second text quickly came through: 'I'm just kidding. We just gave him glasses.' It was another reason for optimism. 'It's funny when you look at all the work that he's done,' Vogt said. 'And sometimes you just need to be able to see a little better, too.' In his first outing for the Blue Jays' Single A affiliate this year, Stanifer pitched four one-hit innings, walking two batters with 62 percent of his pitches finding the zone. That's a 62 percent strike rate he's maintained all year, a six percentage point jump from his 2024 form. Stanifer's first-pitch strike rate has gone from 38 percent to 53 percent this season, allowing him to expand the zone later with his slider and splitter. Stanifer is currently throwing in a piggyback role following Toronto's top pitching prospect, Trey Yesavage. The pair play catch together, prepare for starts together, and then split outings down the middle. For the Dunedin Blue Jays in Florida, Stanifer prepared for his back-half outings with a classic starter's routine — warming slowly with a set entry point into games. He's still logging heavy innings with the Vancouver Canadians, but ramping up more like a traditional reliever. Stanifer was amped up in his first inning after promotion, the righty said, walking three of his first four batters in High A. Since, he's struck out 13 batters to just three walks and his first-pitch strike rate for the Canadians remains over 50 percent. 'I definitely think them seeing me in multiple roles is going to help out,' Stanifer said. 'Just to know I'm able to do both, and kind of put that final decision in their hands.' Advertisement Stanifer doesn't care what role he's in. The righty's current dilemma is contacts or glasses. He wore sport goggles for one inter-squad game before the 2025 season and all his teammates begged him to bust them back out in a real contest. The spectacled looks of Tom Henke and Eric Gagné have their perks, but Stanifer said the contacts are easier and more comfortable. Either way, the vision is what matters. For Major League's Ricky Vaughn, glasses were a switch that flipped him from wild to precise. For Stanifer, the prescription was another step in a climb he's been on for years. 'I think just knowing that side of things is taken care of,' Stanifer said. 'Then the confidence level of how everything's kind of working right now on the physical side, too, it's definitely huge.' (Photo of Gage Stanifer: Courtesy Dunedin Blue Jays)
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue Jays Receive Andres Gimenez News on Wednesday
The Toronto Blue Jays secured their first shutout of the season with a 3-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Chris Bassitt delivered a stellar performance, pitching six innings and allowing only four hits while striking out six batters. Offensively, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set the tone early with a solo home run in the first inning, extending his on-base streak to 20 games. Anthony Santander added a two-run homer in the fifth, providing the necessary cushion for the bullpen to close out the game. This win improved the Blue Jays' record to 22-24, placing them just half a game behind the Boston Red Sox for third place in the American League East. The victory also snapped a two-game losing streak and provided a morale boost as the team continues its nine-game homestand. Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27).Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Despite the win, the Blue Jays are navigating a series of injuries to key players, most notably second baseman Andrés Giménez. Giménez sustained a right quadriceps strain during a game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 8 and was subsequently placed on the 10-day injured list. His absence has been felt both defensively and offensively, as he had been a consistent presence in the lineup. Advertisement However, the team received positive some news on Wednesday. Giménez has resumed baseball activities, including running drills and light fielding work at Rogers Centre. Manager John Schneider indicated that Giménez is expected to embark on a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the major league roster, with a potential return anticipated in late May. Before his injury, Giménez was batting .195 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and nine stolen bases over 128 at-bats. While these numbers reflect a slow start, his defensive prowess and base-running abilities have been valuable assets to the team. The Blue Jays will look to build on Tuesday's victory as they face the Padres again on Wednesday evening. A win would not only clinch the series but also help the team gain ground in the competitive AL East standings. Advertisement Related: Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Exciting Max Scherzer News Related: Blue Jays Fans Upset Over Anthony Santander News Before Tigers Game
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Exciting Max Scherzer News
The Toronto Blue Jays are seeking to rebound after a challenging series against the Detroit Tigers, culminating in a narrow 3-2 loss on Sunday. Despite a solid six-inning performance from José Berríos, the Blue Jays were unable to overcome the Tigers' offense, led by Spencer Torkelson's three RBIs. Injuries and pitching inconsistencies have been a significant hurdle for the Blue Jays this season. The team has struggled with allowing home runs, conceding 68 across 46 games, the second-highest in MLB. This trend has put additional pressure on the bullpen and has been a contributing factor to their current sub-.500 record. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31).Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images In a positive development, veteran pitcher Max Scherzer is making strides in his recovery from a right thumb injury that has sidelined him since his season debut on March 29. Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced that Scherzer felt good after a recent 33-pitch bullpen session. Advertisement The plan is for Scherzer to have a couple more mound sessions before progressing to face live hitters and eventually embarking on a rehab assignment. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, joined the Blue Jays on a one-year, $15.5 million contract signed in February. His return is highly anticipated, as his experience and skill are expected to strengthen the Blue Jays' rotation and provide much-needed stability. Looking ahead, the Blue Jays will host the San Diego Padres at Rogers Centre on Tuesday. Chris Bassitt (3-2, 3.16 ERA) is set to start for Toronto, while Dylan Cease (1-2, 4.60 ERA) will take the mound for San Diego. Advertisement Related: Blue Jays Fans Upset Over Anthony Santander News Before Tigers Game Related: Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Injury News Amid Unexpected Absence
