Blue Jays fans, commentators sound off after another playoff exit

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The Blue Jays season is over following an embarrassing two-game sweep by the Minnesota Twins in which Toronto scored only one run in the playoff series.

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And there was lots of blame to go around, judging by the reaction on social media.

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The loss Wednesday was primarily pinned on Jays management – President and CEO Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins – for their overreliance on analytics.

Thursday morning, Citytv’s Breakfast Television co-host Sid Seixeiro went on a rant about the decisions made on the field and off it, laying blame on upper management for pitcher Jose Berrios coming out of the game and not manager John Schneider.

“I am 100% convinced the decision to take out that pitcher, at that time, in that game, was not his (Schneider),” Seixeiro said.

“He did not make that call. I think the players knew that. I think Jose Berrios … knew that, ’cause he actually came up to him (Schneider) afterwards and was consoling him.

“There was some bizarre stuff going on in that dugout,” Seixeiro said.

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Many fans agreed, pointing out how the team has not gotten better under the current leadership.

“Toronto brings in analytics-based GM who has good regular-season but the team underachieves in the playoffs,” Robb Ellis wrote on social media site X.

“Hmmm… we’ve seen this movie before,” he added, alluding to the Maple Leafs’ playoff struggles under former GM Kyle Dubas.

Fellow supporter Cheryl Fullerton added her disappointment with the way GM Atkins crafted this lineup.

“This is not on Toronto’s pitchers,” she wrote. “One run over 18 innings will not win playoff games. Someone built an incomplete roster from the outset of the year and the majority of position players didn’t hit up to their potential all year. Ross Atkins needs to go.”

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Others picked on Schneider for pulling Berrios after three-plus innings and only 47 pitches.

“What a shabby disappointing do-or-die game for the Blue Jays,” Donna Middleton wrote on Facebook. “Why the hell would they pull an awe-inspiring Berrios who was spot on his game out and replace him with a proven unreliable pitcher like (Yusei) Kikuchi?”

Veteran sportscaster Mark Hebscher weighed in as well, suggesting the Jays should show slumping slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. the exit, especially after getting picked off second base in the fifth inning with Bo Bichette at the plate and George Springer at third.

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“Vladdy has to go,” Hebscher shared. “It’s his team, and he didn’t perform like a leader. No home run jacket, but still doing the Gatorade shower and not hustling out there. Terrible baserunner and an overrated defender. He has underperformed again. Same old story.”

Another fan, Graham Kritzer, was not surprised by what transpired following the series sweep.

“If you had told me (Tuesday) that the #BlueJays would fall into Target Field, score one run in two games, get swept, leave 15+ runners on base and have John Schneider make another horrendous pitching decision I would’ve said, ‘Yes, I absolutely believe this will happen.’”

Derek Nighbor made the argument that the team is in need of a complete revamp from top to bottom.

“I think most hard core #BlueJays fans were a bit uncomfortable watching the big celebration on Sunday after going 9-10 down a critical stretch and backing into the playoffs. … It just feels embarrassing. Time for an overhaul of attitude and personnel.”

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