The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Blue Jays</a> are back in Toronto to kick off Game 6 of the ALCS, which is scheduled for later this evening. They are down 3-2 in the series after an eighth-inning collapse on Friday evening, and will now need to win two games at home if they plan on advancing to the World Series.

Both the Jays and the Mariners addressed the media yesterday afternoon, and once again, Jays manager John Schneider <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3372078/jays-schneider-i-didnt-make-mistake-with-little-in-game-5">was asked</a> about turning to Brendon Little in the bottom of the eighth inning in the previous contest, which resulted in the Mariners rallying to put up five runs and eventually win the last game at T-Mobile Park.
&#8220;In hindsight, I had a couple other options to do. That&#8217;s what I decided to do. So, again, I have all the information that I need, and I don&#8217;t think I made a mistake&#8230; Players have to go perform. There is always risk when you put a player in a situation that he won&#8217;t get the job done. That&#8217;s part of the game.&#8221;
The Jays manager continued to discuss the decision to use Little and referenced how things could have turned out differently had he used Little or not, &#8220;Every decision you make that doesn&#8217;t work out, I regret&#8230; No matter who it is. Whether it&#8217;s a hitter, a pinch-hitter, a pitcher, a starting pitcher, it&#8217;s part of the job. &#8230; There&#8217;s what-ifs always in this game. I think that you learn from &#8217;em. You trust your people around you when you are making decisions. You make &#8217;em, and you move on. That&#8217;s where I&#8217;m at with it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
From Saturday evening at Rogers Centre, here&#39;s how Blue Jays manager John Schneider reflected upon his bullpen deployment in the 8th inning of Game 5: <a href="https://t.co/FCaFWb2KoW">pic.twitter.com/FCaFWb2KoW</a>
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1979681293689594157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
To his credit, what he is saying does make sense in terms of accountability on both ends of the game. Putting up limited run support in the postseason is a recipe for disaster, and the Jays had numerous chances to increase their lead on Friday but couldn&#8217;t find a way to buy a timely hit when needed.
However, he loses credibility when it comes to his decision-making at the time.
There indeed are many &#8216;what-ifs&#8217; in the game of baseball, but Jays fans were quick to point out on social media that Little should not be used in this instance. The Jays employ Jeff Hoffman, who was paid big bucks this winter to show up and produce in these spots, and he was left on the bench to rot. The Jays also traded for Seranthony Dominguez, who was the arm they acquired to get these key outs down the stretch and into the postseason.
Admittedly, Dominguez contributed to the fallout that unravelled a couple of days ago, but an easy counterpoint could be made that had he started the inning instead of inheriting two runners on with zero outs after Little struggled, things may have shaken out differently. At least the decision to go to Dominguez would have made more sense in this situation compared to <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-breaking-down-john-schneiders-decision-to-call-on-little">Little</a>, who did not have the stats or analytics on his side to be brought in at that time, when it came to putting Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco into the right side of the batter&#8217;s box
The Blue Jays will be looking to take two at home over the next couple of days if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive. Schneider has already said that pretty much every arm will be available down in the bullpen tomorrow; however, hopefully, the management of said arms is better deployed this time around. Otherwise, the Jays will be watching the World Series from Cancun instead of the dugout.
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The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Blue Jays</a> are back in Toronto to kick off Game 6 of the ALCS, which is scheduled for later this evening. They are down 3-2 in the series after an eighth-inning collapse on Friday evening, and will now need to win two games at home if they plan on advancing to the World Series.



Both the Jays and the Mariners addressed the media yesterday afternoon, and once again, Jays manager John Schneider <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3372078/jays-schneider-i-didnt-make-mistake-with-little-in-game-5">was asked</a> about turning to Brendon Little in the bottom of the eighth inning in the previous contest, which resulted in the Mariners rallying to put up five runs and eventually win the last game at T-Mobile Park.

"In hindsight, I had a couple other options to do. That's what I decided to do. So, again, I have all the information that I need, and I don't think I made a mistake... Players have to go perform. There is always risk when you put a player in a situation that he won't get the job done. That's part of the game."

The Jays manager continued to discuss the decision to use Little and referenced how things could have turned out differently had he used Little or not, "Every decision you make that doesn't work out, I regret... No matter who it is. Whether it's a hitter, a pinch-hitter, a pitcher, a starting pitcher, it's part of the job. ... There's what-ifs always in this game. I think that you learn from 'em. You trust your people around you when you are making decisions. You make 'em, and you move on. That's where I'm at with it."

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1979681293689594157

To his credit, what he is saying does make sense in terms of accountability on both ends of the game. Putting up limited run support in the postseason is a recipe for disaster, and the Jays had numerous chances to increase their lead on Friday but couldn't find a way to buy a timely hit when needed.

However, he loses credibility when it comes to his decision-making at the time.

There indeed are many 'what-ifs' in the game of baseball, but Jays fans were quick to point out on social media that Little should not be used in this instance. The Jays employ Jeff Hoffman, who was paid big bucks this winter to show up and produce in these spots, and he was left on the bench to rot. The Jays also traded for Seranthony Dominguez, who was the arm they acquired to get these key outs down the stretch and into the postseason.

Admittedly, Dominguez contributed to the fallout that unravelled a couple of days ago, but an easy counterpoint could be made that had he started the inning instead of inheriting two runners on with zero outs after Little struggled, things may have shaken out differently. At least the decision to go to Dominguez would have made more sense in this situation compared to <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-breaking-down-john-schneiders-decision-to-call-on-little">Little</a>, who did not have the stats or analytics on his side to be brought in at that time, when it came to putting Cal Raleigh and Jorge Polanco into the right side of the batter's box

The Blue Jays will be looking to take two at home over the next couple of days if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive. Schneider has already said that pretty much every arm will be available down in the bullpen tomorrow; however, hopefully, the management of said arms is better deployed this time around. Otherwise, the Jays will be watching the World Series from Cancun instead of the dugout.

<hr />

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