Schneider explains using Little in 8th: He's 'been one of our best'
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider tried to explain his controversial decision to use left-hander Brendon Little while holding a late lead in Friday's Game 5 of the ALCS.
Little entered what was then a one-run game in favor of Toronto to face the heart of the Seattle Mariners' order - Cal Raleigh, Jorge Polanco, and Josh Naylor - in the bottom of the eighth. After taking the first two pitches for balls, Raleigh launched Little's sinker over the left-field wall for a game-tying homer. Little then walked Polanco and Naylor before being pulled for Seranthony Domínguez, who gave up a game-winning grand slam to Eugenio Suárez.
Schneider hinted at perhaps wanting to turn switch-hitters Raleigh and Polanco around to hit from the right side as part of his decision. Naylor, the third batter Little met, hits from the left side.
"I wanted to see that part of the lineup see different (relievers)," Schneider said. "We talked about it all series. Little's been one of our best pitchers in big spots. Tough guy to elevate. Cal's a really good hitter.
"I get it, man. After that, you got to settle down and throw strikes too. So that's been part of Little's game. So has strikeouts. Again, I trust every single guy on this roster. It's hard. No one feels worse than Little, no one feels worse than Ser right now, or me. But I trust every single guy on this roster. Today it didn't work out, but we've won two games in a row a whole lot this year."
Schneider turned to Little instead of giving Domínguez a clean inning, or calling on closer Jeff Hoffman to pitch the eighth. Hoffman pitched the eighth in Toronto's Game 4 victory Thursday, recording a clean inning against Seattle's best hitters while his team led 8-2.
"I thought about it, for sure," Schneider said of using Hoffman early. "Decisions are hard. I think being convicted in a process is important. You make a decision and you leave it behind you. It's part of baseball. Second-guessing is part of it."
Little enjoyed a solid regular season, posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.36 WHIP along with a 12.0 K/9 rate and just two homers allowed over an AL-leading 79 appearances. However, most of that production came early in the 2025 season.
Including the playoffs, Little has a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over his last 21 appearances, according to Sportsnet Stats. The 29-year-old also took the loss in Game 1 of the ALCS.
"Obviously, it feels terrible," Little told reporters. "The whole game, they put us in a position to win. I came in and really couldn't have pitched worse."