Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman has spoken out after blowing another save for the defending American League champions.
Hoffman blew his third save of the season for the Blue Jays on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. After the Jays took a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning, Hoffman allowed two hits, three walks, and two earned runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to allow the Brewers to tie the game and send it to extras. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, they were able to come back and win in the 10th inning, but Hoffman’s disastrous performance has led to concern among the Blue Jays’ fanbase that he is no longer the man for the job.
Speaking to reporters the following day, Hoffman spoke about blowing the save, admitting that he didn’t have any command of his pitches and that his stuff was not up to par.
“I didn’t have any command or any stuff tonight.. nothing was going where I wanted it to go, so it was just a battle the entire inning… I’m glad me and Louis (Varland) were able to just get it to the 10th. It could’ve easily ended in the 9th,” Hoffman said, as relayed by Blue Jays reporter Hazel Mae.
Jeff Hoffman Has Struggled so Far in 2026
Hoffman’s stats so far in 2026 are concerning, to say the least. While his 18 strikeouts in 8.1 innings are impressive, the rest of his numbers are scary. Through his first nine appearances of the season, he has a 4.32 ERA and has allowed 10 hits, five walks (plus two intentional walks), and six earned runs. Most importantly, he has blown three saves, which leads the American League. For a Blue Jays team that has World Series aspirations, yet has struggled to start the 2026 season, they can not afford to blow any more games in the ninth inning. That has led to some Blue Jays fans requesting the team make a change at closer, with Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers among the potential replacements for Hoffman in the closer role.
Hoffman Blew Game 7 Save in 2025 World Series Game 7
Hoffman came under fire last season when, in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he blew the save in the top of the ninth inning when he allowed a game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas. The Blue Jays would go on to lose Game 7 and miss out on a golden opportunity to capture the franchise’s third World Series championship and its first since 1993. Following the loss, Hoffman was emotional and took full responsibility for the loss, admitting that he felt like he had let his team down. However, the other 25 players on the roster plus the coaching staff had his back.
During this past offseason, the Blue Jays made several changes to their bullpen, including signing the aforementioned Rogers as another high-end reliever. However, the team opted to keep Hoffman in the closer role despite the player himself admitting that he was open to being moved to a set-up role instead. After a rough start to 2026, the Blue Jays may be reconsidering their decision to keep Hoffman as the closer. The only solace for the team is that they have both Varland and Rogers as potential in-house replacements if they indeed move on from Hoffman as the closer, at least for the time being.
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