Blue Jays Star Closer Jeff Hoffman Issues Soul Crushing Quote on Game 7 Loss
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The Toronto Blue Jays lost an absolutely heartbreaking World Series Game 7 on Saturday night, and it's one to where the pain is not going away anytime soon.
Fans all over Canada now head into what will be a very long and cold offseason as they count the days until they can watch their Blue Jays play baseball again. For as much as it stung -- and may continue to for years moving forward -- it's important to remember in times like this that nobody hurts more than the players.
Guys who have dreamed their whole lives of getting the kind of opportunity Toronto had and squandered on Saturday just watched their greatest ultimate goal disappear before their very eyes. And nobody feels worse about it than Toronto's closer Jeff Hoffman.
Jeff Hoffman is Absolutely Devastated After Allowing Tying Home Run
MIGUEL ROJAS WITH THE BIGGEST SWING OF HIS LIFE 💥
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2025
GAME 7 IS TIED IN TORONTO pic.twitter.com/tDwUGzBrVq
After the dust had settled on the loss, the players were back in the locker room speaking to media and giving their thoughts. Hoffman offered some particularly candid takes on his 9th inning disaster home run allowed to Miguel Rojas.
The right-hander was asked if he could put into words how he was feeling about what had just occurred, and he did not hold back.
"I cost everybody in here a World Series ring. So it's pretty sh***y," he said emotionally as he struggled for further explanation. "You've just gotta execute better in that spot and I let that happen."
“I cost everybody in here a World Series ring. It feels pretty shitty.” -Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman pic.twitter.com/ayTwQpPoDz
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 2, 2025
Toronto Does Not Make it This Far Without Hoffman
The Blue Jays signed Hoffman last offseason to a three-year deal to be their new closer, and the results this year were up and down. With flashes of brilliance that included 33 saves, the overall body of work in his first regular season with Toronto reflected a pedestrian 4.37 ERA and 0.5 bWAR.
In October though, Hoffman turned things up a notch. In 10 appearances during the postseason, he recorded a 1.46 ERA and 0.81 WHIP, racking up 18 strikeouts compared to just four walks in 12.1 innings pitched and posting two saves.
The home run was the first run he had allowed in five innings of World Series action, and it seemed whenever the Blue Jays needed a big out late, it was Hoffman they turned to.
Nobody is happy with the way things ended up in Game 7, but Toronto had other opportunities and Hoffman simply cannot put the loss all on himself.
With how tight-knit this team is, it's safe to say the entire clubhouse will be picking up their closer and assuring him that games are won and lost as a team, not by any individual player.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.