The Toronto Blue Jays are facing a 2-0 deficit as they prepare to take on the Mariners in Seattle for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Wednesday. Despite notching two more runs than in Game 1, Toronto ultimately fell to Seattle in a blowout 10-3 loss. The Mariners will now host the Jays for Game 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary), before things potentially shift back to Toronto for Game 6 and 7. Right-hander Shane Bieber will make the Game 3 start for Toronto against Seattle’s George Kirby. Blue Jays manager John Schneider and closer Jeff Hoffman both spoke to reporters ahead of the game. Here’s what they said: 6:03 p.m. ‘It’s not impossible’ Schneider closed his remarks by expressing confidence that being down 2-0 doesn’t mean it’s the end for his squad. “It’s baseball. You never know. Momentum or the series can just shift,” he said. “It’s a seven game series for a reason, right?... There’s certain things that you have to just keep front and centre, and you hope for those moments that kind of click.” He also referred to Hoffman’s former team, the Phillies, that eventually lost despite going up 2-0 in the NCLS. “It’s very, very possible to do when you have a really, really good team... this is not a hole you cannot climb out of.” 6 p.m. Schneider says Max Scherzer will start Game 4 After sitting out in the American League Division Series, starting pitcher Max Scherzer was added to the ALCS roster and Schneider confirmed he will start Game 4 against the Mariners on Thursday. Schneider said the decision came down to a “little bit of everything.” “We didn’t use him, (we looked at) kind of where he is physically, talked to him about (how he feels) compared to where he was a month ago, how their (the Mariners) lineup will roll out, how we’ve used our bullpen, how guys in the bullpen are feeling, and things like that.” “I think you get the best version out of Max when he prepares. I talked about him preparing all year... So, you trust that he’s going to be prepared and go out and give everything he has and hopefully rise to the occasion of a big moment. He’s a (future) Hall of Famer for a reason, so you feel good about handing him the ball and watch him go to work.” 5:59 p.m. Santander should be good to play in Game 3 Schneider confirmed to reporters that Anthony Santander — who sat out in Game 2 with lower back tightness — should be good to play tomorrow. “He was available to hit yesterday, so anticipating him be being good to go tomorrow. I’ll check in with him later tonight and tomorrow morning. I think it was kind of one of those things where his back locked up in the morning, but I think he should be all right.” Schneider said they’ll decide in the morning if they use Santander in the outfield or pivot him to the designated hitter slot and send George Springer to right field instead. 5:57 p.m. Schneider remarks on facing Kirby “He’s got good stuff, a good fastball, and can locate it up and down,” Schneider said when asked about facing Mariners’ starter Kirby in Game 3. “He’s going to come after you.” “I think that looking at these first two series, I think they’ve (the Mariners’ pitchers) done a good job of being in the zone, but kind of in safe areas when you look at ball and play quality. I think we just have to be really deliberate and aware of that with him tomorrow.” 5:55 p.m. Schneider says it’s “impressive” how the team bounces back after a loss “It’s really, really impressive how they kind of just turn the page to the next day,” Schneider said about the Game 1 and 2 losses. He said the team just thinks about what they need to do going forward. “(They’re) thinking about what they needed to do today, and they’ll be ready to do it tomorrow. I know it sounds like a broken record and it sounds really cliche, but I think that they do a really good job of living in the present moment... So, I think where they are right now is exactly where they’ve been after a couple tough losses and a long travel day.” 5:53 p.m. Manager John Schneider speaks ahead of Game 3 “I like our chances any day, anywhere, against anyone,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said at the top of his remarks to reporters on Tuesday. “I think the off day was good for us today to kind of reset. And I think the guys are going to come out knowing exactly what they have to do.” 5:35 p.m. A large number of Jays fans expected in Seattle crowd CTV News Toronto’s Rahim Ladhani was on his way to Seattle today to cover the Jays’ ALCS away games and ran into some fans. “On my flight from Toronto to Vancouver, before continuing on to Seattle, I sat beside a woman who was flying to visit her mother — a die-hard Blue Jays fan. Together, they’re heading south to Seattle for ALCS Game 3. Expect plenty of Jays fans in attendance — this won’t be your typical road game." Rahim Ladhani, CTV News Toronto video journalist 5 p.m. ‘We’re legitimately friends’ Continuing to speak on the team dynamics outside of baseball, Hoffman reiterated that it’s a special group. “(There are) a lot of guys on this team that I’ll keep in touch with for the rest of my life, no matter what goes on from this point on,” he said. “I just think we all enjoy being around each other so much, not only from a baseball standpoint, but from a human standpoint as well... we see ourselves as more than just teammates, like we’re legitimately friends. That’s a great thing when you care about a group of people on a deeper level than just work... It makes it easier to come to work and fight for the guy that’s next to you.” 4:57 p.m. ‘Not cliquey at all’ Hoffman says of Jays clubhouse “I think the way that our roster is constructed, we have our quote, unquote ‘big money guys’ who are the leaders of the team, and they are the foundational pieces of why we’re a tight knit group. Our clubhouse is very, very intertwined. Not cliquey at all.” Hoffman also told reporters the Blue Jays have a great rapport that’s unlike any team he’s previously been a part of. “I’ve been in clubhouses that are cliquey, and it’s not a great recipe to win baseball games. We do everything together. Off nights, even when everybody’s trying to stay away from baseball, we’re all going out and getting dinner together. The teams like this one are the ones where you don’t really want the season to end, because these are the guys that you’ve literally spent all your time with for the duration of the season.” 4:55 p.m. ‘We’re going to be prepared for the next game’ Hoffman said despite the two home losses, the team isn’t rattled and remains “consistent.” “I think our guys, when it comes to losing a couple games in a row and how the mood is in the clubhouse, our guys are very consistent,” he said. “We show up at the same time every day. The guys are ready to do their programs, their plans, their routines, and those things don’t really sway one way or another. We’re going to be prepared for the next game and our bullpen are going to... make the adjustments that are necessary, and we’re going to be good.” 4:53 p.m. Hoffman not worried about the Seattle crowd “The atmosphere of the ballpark is something that can be used by both sides,” Hoffman commented, saying he’s not worried about how loud it may get in Seattle with the away crowd. “It’s not necessarily the home or the away team that gets the advantage in that, it’s whoever is going to be able to kind of block that out better. I feel like the noise and the loudness can definitely be a negative if you allow it to become that, but if you are able to stay focused on the task at hand, take it pitch by pitch, and stay kind of in your own head, that stuff won’t bother you.” 4:50 p.m. Hoffman says pitches could have been executed better in Game 1 and 2 When asked what he believes was the biggest thing that prevented the Jays from “playing their game” in Game 1 and 2, Hoffman said pitches could have been executed better. “I’ve said it since the beginning,” he said. “It’s going to come down to how well you can execute your game plan... Everybody knows who you are at this point in the year, and it’s going to come down to how well you can execute. “I haven’t gone back and looked, but I would imagine that some of the pitches we’ve been hurt on are pitches that could have been executed better, or potentially a different pitch in the same count, or something like that.” 4:47 p.m. ‘Not over until it’s over’ says Hoffman Hoffman was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023, who went up 2-0 in the National League Championship Series before eventually losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Having been on the opposite side of where the Blue Jays are sitting going into Game 3, the pitcher believes they can get to a “good spot.” “You got to win four,” Hoffman said. “Now, we’re going to go out tomorrow night and try to get one back. And all we can do is take it one at a time.” “I remember being on the other end of that a couple years ago, and the series is not over until it’s over, so we just got to go out and play our game and focus on the now and execute our game plan, and we’ll be in a pretty good spot.” 4:45 p.m. Blue Jays’ closer Jeff Hoffman speaks ahead of Game 3 “We take every challenge for what it is,” Blue Jays’ closing pitcher Jeff Hoffman told reporters ahead of ALCS Game 3. “We don’t drag last night or think about what’s going to happen in the future. We stay in the now and go out and put our best foot forward.” With files from CTV News Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras
