TORONTO – In the hushed press room after Game 7, as the Dodgers celebrated their second straight championship, Toronto Blue Jays coach John Schneider walked out with red eyes. He paused for a few seconds at the microphone, took a deep breath, and then said in a choked voice:
“If anyone is to blame, it’s me. Don’t blame the young players — they fought until the very end.”
It wasn’t an excuse, but the voice of a teacher who had just witnessed his students fall after an extraordinary journey.
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the 2025 World Series as a breath of fresh air – young, full of enthusiasm, and surprising MLB with their bold play. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk… the seemingly inexperienced names competed fairly against the Dodgers empire, dragging the series to a thrilling Game 7 at Rogers Centre.
However, fate was cruel. After more than 4 hours of tension, Will Smith’s home run in the 11th inning ended the blue dream with a score of 5-4, right at Toronto’s home field. As the Dodgers celebrated, Schneider just quietly walked along the dugout, patting each of his players on the shoulder — no words, just looks filled with pride.
“They are young, they need time, but their hearts are bigger than I thought. I love this group,” Schneider said, trying to hold back tears.
“I deserve more blame than they do”
When asked by ESPN about the pitching strategy in the 11th inning, when the Blue Jays opted to switch bullpen instead of keeping Romano, Schneider did not shy away:
“That decision was mine, and maybe it was not the right one. If anyone needs to blame, it should be me. I didn’t lead them well enough to get them over the finish line.”
A long silence fell between those words. There was no anger, no complaints – just the pure pain of a leader who feels guilty for not being able to translate his players’ efforts into results.
The 2025 Blue Jays are not considered championship contenders. They reached Game 7 thanks to something many big teams have lost: belief and desire. From the Wild Card round to the American League Championship Series, Toronto overcame the Yankees and Astros with incredible, youthful comebacks.
When asked what he would say to his players before leaving the locker room, Schneider replied simply:
“I told them: Keep your heads up. Losing one game doesn’t mean losing the whole journey. We’ll be back.”
At Rogers Centre, tens of thousands of Toronto fans lingered for a long time. They applauded, chanted each player’s name, even after the Dodgers had left the field. On social media, the hashtag #ThankYouBlueJays trended across Canada within hours – a testament to the love and admiration this team has created.
Coach John Schneider’s tears that night were not just the sadness of losing, but also the beginning of a new chapter – where the Blue Jays would no longer be a “young, promising team”, but a growing force every day.
“I believe in them. One day, we will come back here, but next time, we will not cry because we lost,” – Schneider said in his closing remarks at the press conference.
When he left the auditorium, people heard applause from the press seats. Not comfort, but respect. Because tonight, even though they did not win the gold cup, John Schneider and the Blue Jays were still champions in the hearts of the fans.
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