Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider reacted after his team lost a heartbreaking makeup game on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.
The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. With All-Star closer Louis Varland on the mound, the Blue Jays were feeling good about their chances.
But Alex Bregman blasted a two-run bomb with two outs to tie the game at 2-2, handing Varland his first blown save of the season. The game then went to extra innings, with the Cubs eventually winning 3-2 in the bottom of the 11th inning.
It was a tough loss for Toronto, as Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement saved Toronto from losing in the bottom of the 10th inning with a phenomenal catch to rob Cubs catcher Carson Kelly of a game-winning hit, and center fielder Myles Johns made an amazing catch in the bottom of the 11th to throw Kelly, the ghost runner, out at the plate.
What a catch by Ernie Clement to send us to the 11th at Wrigley 🤯
John Schneider Reacts to Tough Cubs Loss
Speaking to Sportsnet following the game, Schneider reacted to his team losing a heartbreaking game and spoiling another amazing start from Cy Young Award contender Dylan Cease, who had 7 IP for Toronto, giving up 0 ER and racking up 10 strikeouts.
“The guys are playing their asses off. There are some great plays mixed in between Myles, Ernie. Dylan was outstanding — that’s about as good as you can get against a really patient, good lineup to do what he did. You want get the offence going. You want to either get some timely hits or add some slug, like we’ve talked about a lot. The other phases of the game, I like what they’re doing. I like the way they’re competing. And you’ve got to brush this off, leave it here and get on Philly,” Schneider said as the Blue Jays head to Philadelphia for a three-game series.
Blue Jays Right Now
Following this loss, the Blue Jays dropped back to 3.5 GB of the third and final American League Wild Card spot, which is disappointing, as the team would have been just 2.5 GB of a playoff spot had they been able to hold on in the bottom of the ninth inning and win it.
The Blue Jays have had a tough year, as the team is just 54-62 right now and running out of time to make a run to the playoffs. It’s a far cry from last year, when Toronto won the American League East and went all the way to the World Series.
But the players still believe that the team has a chance to make the playoffs this season and are still playing hard, as Schneider said. The team has been dealt plenty of big blows this season as far as major injuries go, but they aren’t using injuries as an excuse, as they are still trying their best to make a late-season playoff run.
But if the playoffs are going to happen, then they absolutely need to win this weekend’s series against the Phillies.
Blue Jays Manager Reacts Following Heartbreaking Loss to Cubs