The Philadelphia Phillies weren't competing in the World Series, but they did have some lingering connections that left some harsh feelings by the time the last pitch was thrown in Game 7 on Saturday night.
It was the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers that battled for World Series glory in 2025. The Dodgers were looking to be MLB's first repeat champions since 2000, while the Blue Jays were looking to clinch their first title in 32 years.
Former Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman was the man on the mound looking to close things out, but ultimately fell victim to a gut-wrenching performance that cost a ring for the city of Toronto.
Jeff Hoffman becomes easy scapegoat after ninth-inning home run cost Blue Jays World Series win
The Blue Jays had a 4-3 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning. Hoffman came in to get the last out of the eighth and was looking to secure a four-out save. With one out in the ninth, Hoffman was working his way through the lineup with Shohei Ohtani lingering, who would have possibly been the last out.
Dodgers utility bat, Miguel Rojas with one out and a full count, took the seventh pitch of the at-bat and roped it over the left field wall to tie the game at four and stun the home crowd. Hoffman had a chance to be the hero, but now finds himself in World Series infamy.
“I cost everybody in here a World Series ring, so it's pretty s****y, Hoffman said post game.”
Jeff Hoffman takes the blame after the Game 7 loss. pic.twitter.com/lep8o5okD5
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 2, 2025
Hoffman is a 10-year MLB veteran. He played in a combined seven seasons with the Rockies and Reds before coming to Philadelphia in 2023. He was a solid reliever his first year, and then put together an All-Star campaign in 2024 with a 2.17 ERA. The Phillies allowed the 32-year-old Hoffman to walk in free agency, and he landed with the Blue Jays on a three-year, $33 million deal to be their closer. Hoffman struggled with a 4.37 ERA, but did accrue 33 saves, the fourth most in baseball.
Hoffman was looking to find his groove again, and found it once October rolled around. He bounced back during the Blue Jays' 2025 postseason run with a 1.46 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings.
Hoffman allowed six earned runs in 1 1/3 innings for the Phillies last postseason, which killed a lot of hope for the Phillies' 2024 run. He was nails this postseason, but ironically enough, it was the one of two runs that Hoffman allowed that was the back-breaker for Toronto that played a large roll in dropping Game 7.
From hero to scapegoat, there's nothing quite like postseason baseball.