Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider reacted to his team’s performance after their crushing loss in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays forced the reigning World Series champions into a Game 7 matchup and had them on the back foot for a majority of the ballgame, however a go-ahead Will Smith home run in the top of the 11th inning gave the Dodgers their first lead of the game and ultimately proved to make the difference in the contest.
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“It’s hard, you know. Had my first team meeting of the year after the game. There’s so many things to unpack there, not just the series as a whole — seven games, two of them go to extras. I thought we played great baseball,” Schneider said.
“I feel for the guys. This is a special group of guys. That being said, I am so proud of them — of the entire organization, really, that’s kind of where I’m at. We’ve set a new expectation and a new standard here, and did it with a lot of hard work, did it with a lot of cohesiveness. And man, it’s tough to say bye to this group.”
Schneider revealed what he told his team in their meeting after the loss.
“I said thank you,” Schneider said. “I said thank you probably about 10 times. And that was the main message. I’m sure I’m gonna talk to them all again, but I said thank you, I said I’m sorry that we’re feeling this way right now, it definitely could have been the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of emotions. I said thank you, and this is a group that I’m never gonna forget. They’re gonna have a place in my heart, every single one of them. So that was the gist of it.”
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The Blue Jays put together a fantastic season, finishing the regular season with the best record in the American League and making it to their first World Series since 1993. They have a lot of great things to reflect on during the offseason, and will look to claim the championship which evaded them in 2025 next year.
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