SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the top of the fifth inning Sunday, Toronto Blue Jays third base coach Carlos Febles grabbed hold of John Schneider’s short-sleeved hoodie and held him back like a barking dog on a leash.
Schneider was livid, yelling in the direction of Brian Walsh, the third base umpire who had just called Davis Schneider’s fly ball down the left field line foul. After review, the foul call stood, enraging the Blue Jays manager.
He made his way from the first base dugout to the infield, where home plate umpire Tripp Gibson ejected him from the game and restrained him with the back of his left forearm. But Schneider wanted a discussion with Walsh, who remained impassive in shallow left field.
Realizing that emotions were running high on a hot afternoon at Sutter Health Park, bench coach DeMarlo Hale raced out to restrain Schneider while Febles raced in, grabbing the manager’s hoodie to keep him separated from Walsh. Eventually, Schneider realized he wasn’t getting the chance to speak with Walsh, so he began the long walk across the outfield toward the visiting clubhouse in left-centre field, where he’d watch the rest of the game.
Then Davis Schneider homered to left field on the next pitch.
That sequence was just one of the reasons Sunday’s series finale was a memorable one, but the Blue Jays still lost, 6-3 — a frustrating ending to an exceptionally good first half. Starter Jose Berrios struggled, Chris Bassitt pitched in relief and the offence managed just four hits as the Blue Jays’ streak of five consecutive series wins ended.
Berrios needed 61 pitches to complete just three innings — his shortest start of the 2025 season, and one of his least effective. He walked two while allowing five hits, including two home runs on his way to four earned runs.
Stuff-wise, Berrios was working with less than usual. He struck out just one on a day his velocity was down one mile per hour: 91.2 m.p.h. compared to his season average of 92.2. His pitches generated just three swinging strikes all afternoon — likely a reason the Blue Jays went to the bullpen early.
After appearances from Tommy Nance, Justin Bruihl and Braydon Fisher, Bassitt entered for his first relief work since 2019, when he was a member of the Athletics. He completed a scoreless inning between starts while also lightening the load a little for the rest of the bullpen.
As for the Blue Jays’ lineup, they struggled for the second consecutive day. Facing potential trade candidate Jeffrey Springs, the Blue Jays combined for only four hits, though two of them were homers. Schneider’s dramatic shot got the Blue Jays started, while Addison Barger made the score a little closer with a two-run shot in the seventh.
Defensively, the Blue Jays played poorly again, making three errors for the second consecutive game.
Despite the frustrating loss, there’s no question this first half was a resounding success. Fifty-five wins at the all-star break are a franchise record, and the Blue Jays still take a 2.0-game division lead into the second half thanks to a Cubs win over the Yankees Sunday.
With unexpectedly strong contributions from the likes of Barger (13 home runs), Fisher (2.22 ERA), Eric Lauer (2.78 ERA), Nathan Lukes (.371 on-base percentage), Myles Straw (1.5 WAR) and Ernie Clement (2.5 WAR), the Blue Jays are, to borrow Bo Bichette’s phrase, the embodiment of a team.
Yet their biggest challenges are ahead if they’re going to compete for an AL East title and a first-round bye. Achieving those goals will require continued contributions from their breakout players, but they’ll need more than that, too.
That starts at the trade deadline, the last chance to add impact big-league pitching for the stretch run. Yet the Blue Jays will also need more from their off-season additions, as Jeff Hoffman, Max Scherzer, Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez have all produced below their potential whether due to performance, injuries or both.
Wherever it leads, the Blue Jays are in an objectively great spot right now, creating optimism about what’s ahead. And if Sunday’s game offers any hints at what’s coming, the finish to this 2025 season should be pretty entertaining, too.
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