Toronto Blue Jays manager Schneider explains why he blocks out fan criticism
Since taking over as the Toronto Blue Jays manager in 2022, John Schneider has had all sorts of big decisions to make in his job.
One of the biggest came on Friday, when Schneider opted to go to struggling reliever Brendon Little in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 5. With Toronto up 2-1 in the game and a chance to go up 3-2 in the series, Schneider’s decision didn’t quite pay off.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Little gave up a game-tying home run and then walked the next two batters. While he was eventually yanked after just three batters, Little was charged with the eventual winning runs via a grand slam en route to a 6-2 loss for Toronto.
Meeting the media ahead of a Game 6 in Toronto that could be the Jays’ last of the season should they lose, Schneider replied to a question asking if he spends his time late at night ‘doomscrolling’ and reading fans second-guessing his opinions.
“For one, I don’t have TikTok, two, I don’t have Twitter. And three, could care less what people think about me, other than in my clubhouse,” Schneider replied.
The Blue Jays’ run to the American League Championship Series is the deepest they’ve gone into the playoffs under Schneider, as well as their first appearance on this stage since back-to-back postseason runs in 2015 and 2016.
“I think back to a couple of years ago, when you’re starting in this position, I think you care about it more then, because you’re trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to do what’s right by your players. I think the more you do it, the more you kind of take it with a grain of salt,” Schneider added. “These guys have jobs where everyone gets to go to their job and ask them why they did something. I’ve never been to [the media’s] places of work. Don’t pretend like I want to. But I think it’s just a matter of circumstance… and I think just the more open and transparent I can be, the better off it is.”
First pitch between the Jays and Mariners is set for 8:03 p.m. ET, with Toronto needing a victory to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday night.