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Concerns growing over dip in pitch velocity from Toronto Blue Jays closer Hoffman

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Sep 17 2025, 6:32 pm
Concerns growing over dip in pitch velocity from Toronto Blue Jays closer Hoffman
Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images

Jeff Hoffman picked up his 31st save of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays in Tuesday night’s 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

But there is a concerning trend in his game.

Hoffman came into the game with one out in the ninth and a man on third base. There were some bumps, as he gave up an RBI single, which allowed a runner to score before walking Junior Caminero. He was able to record two strikeouts afterward, however, helping the Blue Jays pick up their sixth-straight victory.

Despite escaping virtually unscathed, it continued what has been a very rocky first season with the Jays for the 32-year-old closer. Hoffman’s ERA sits at 4.64 on the year, a vast contrast to the 2.17 ERA he had with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024.

Perhaps even more concerning is his rapidly decreasing velocity.

Early in the 2025 season, Hoffman was touching as high as 98 mph on his four-seam fastball. That velocity decreased slightly in May and June, but was picking back up in July. Over the past two months, however, it has dipped.

After Tuesday night, Hoffman’s four-seamer has been below 95 mph in each of his last three appearances.

As Thomas Hall of Blue Jays Nation alluded to, Hoffman is just one appearance shy of his 68 games from a season ago. The 68 appearances set a new career high from the 54 he made in 2023.

What’s interesting in all of this is that Hoffman has actually been better as of late, giving up just one earned run over his last eight showings. That said, there are plenty of concerns about him heading into the playoffs, including the fact that he’s given up 15 home runs through 64 innings on the year.

Whether it’s due to fatigue or perhaps a nagging injury, things are trending in the wrong direction for Hoffman, and Jays fans can do nothing but hope he’s able to get his velocity sorted out before the playoffs get underway in October.

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