SIMMONS: Hoffman, Varsho will never be forgotten or forgiven for Blue Jays’ World Series collapse

Both players traded away were central to the dramatic late stages of Toronto's agonizing defeat in last year's Fall Classic

Published Aug 03, 2026  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  4 minute read

Jeff Hoffman (left) and Daulton Varsho had big opportunities with the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.

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The ball was in Jeff Hoffman’s right hand, with only two outs to go and a World Series to win for the Toronto Blue Jays.

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The ninth inning that may live with us forever.

The Game 7 ninth inning of so much hope and all those possibilities — the inning that Toronto and Canada may never forget.

It turns out that the World Series that could have been won, should have been won by the Blue Jays, never ended the right way.

Home-run tied game

Hoffman surrendered a home run to a marginal infielder named Miguel Rojas and the win became a tie, which eventually meant extra innings.

On trade deadline day in Major League Baseball, Hoffman was sent packing to the Minnesota Twins. He was traded after having two sensational months in a row after losing his closer’s spot in the Blue Jays bullpen. He was traded nine months after the Rojas home run, the blown save of all blown saves.

And who knows when the Blue Jays or Toronto or Canada or any of us will ever experience the World Series again in our lives? For the second time in his career, Hoffman is a former Blue Jay. He’s gone — but the memory of last November may never depart this sensational baseball market.

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Varsho had massive opportunity

Daulton Varsho had a chance to win the World Series in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game was tied 4-4 after the Rojas home run.

Varsho was at the plate, with one out and Isiah Kiner-Falefa standing too close to third base. All Varsho needed was a sacrifice fly, the right kind of ground ball, a more ambitious third base coach and the celebration would have begun.

Varsho would have been central to all the hugging and spraying and jumping that goes with every World Series champion. But he couldn’t do what batters are asked to do all the time — bring in a runner from third with less than two outs.

Unlike Hoffman, his last two months as a Jay were nothing special. He hit two home runs in June, none in July. He barely hit in his last month as a Jay. His play in centre field, so much of what defined him as sensational was no longer so sensational.

He stopped hitting on a team that doesn’t hit much and stopped making the breathtaking catches that won him Gold Gloves in the past.

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Now, in this rather sad season going nowhere, Hoffman has gone to Minnesota, Varsho has gone to Houston and a part of Blue Jays history — the almost great part— departs with them.

‘Human element’

“The human element is always hard to ignore,” said manager John Schneider on the day so many of his players were sent packing, so many new ones were being introduced on paper and in the clubhouse.

Schneider talked Monday about the wild ride the Blue Jays were on a year ago and how embedded that was, and will be, now and forever.

Schneider shook hands with Hoffman and Varsho on Monday afternoon. He honestly seems to love his players the way we love our children — we support them no matter what the circumstances are.

“I’ve defended (Hoffman) to you and the entire country of Canada for the past 12 months and I’ll continue to do that,” said Schneider.

“I feel it was very unfair for Jeff Hoffman to be remembered for one pitch in Game 7.”

Mitch Williams never played for Phillies again

The last time the Blue Jays won the World Series, Mitch Williams threw the last pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was traded to Houston one month later. He never threw another pitch in Philadelphia.

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He’s never been forgotten or forgiven for giving up the Joe Carter home run.

There’s no way of knowing what the future will bring for these Blue Jays. They currently have the worst offensive team in baseball, last in runs scored, last in home runs hit, last in on-base percentage. For all the deals general manager Ross Atkins made at the deadline — and, man, was television gushing about him — he did next to nothing to improve the Jays’ pathetic offence.

They were worst in baseball yesterday. They are worst in baseball today. The emotion that goes along with dealing Hoffman and Varsho was substantial for the almost World Series winners, currently last in the American League East.

“The biggest emotion,” said GM Atkins, in the first year of a five-year extension, “is letting down the fans.”

Hoffman was a first-round draft pick of the Blue Jays, traded to Colorado for Troy Tulowkitzki in 2015, a trade that helped bring the club to the American League Championship Series and should have been World Series. He was then acquired years later in free agency, having moved from starter to bullpen to closer.

His arm is fine. The closer job was not for him. Not last year. Not this year. Like Varsho, he’s a person of quality who deserved a better World Series story. Now they’re in new uniforms.

Never to be forgotten or forgiven for the championship that almost was.

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