Former Phillies teammates discover grass is greener in playoffs in Blue Jays bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies' 2025 season may have come to a sudden abrupt end in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But for two former Phillies players, their quest for the World Series is still alive and well.

Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Domínguez, two former Phillies standout relievers, have been finding playoff success with a surprising Toronto Blue Jays team this season. For a team that was a massive disappointment in 2024, both Hoffman and Domínguez have been playing key roles for Toronto in their resurgent 2025 campaign.

Former Phillies Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez playing key roles in Blue Jays playoff bullpen

During the American League Division Series against the offensive juggernaut New York Yankees team, the duo certainly did their part in helping the Blue Jays get past their divisional rivals in four games. Domínguez appeared in three of the four ALDS games, holding the Yankees scoreless with three key strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings while recording one hold and the decisive win in Game 4.

Hoffman, despite his often Jekyll-and-Hyde performance during the regular season for Toronto, has been dominant in recent weeks leading up to the playoffs. In the end, he yielded just one run to New York while registering the most important series-clinching save when all was said and done.

It’s one thing to be happy to see some former Phillies having success and thriving with their new clubs. But it’s another thing to experience it after Philadelphia suffered yet another agonizing early exit from the MLB playoffs, especially after seeing their own beleaguered bullpen give up key runs that ultimately cost them the NLDS. 

The Phillies dealt Domínguez to the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline in a package that helped bring Austin Hays to town, and we all know how that ended up working out. The Blue Jays acquired him from Baltimore at this year's deadline. Hoffman was let go to free agency by the Phillies in the offseason and the Blue Jays ultimately scooped him up to fortify their relief corps for the 2025 season.

In retrospect, both players had put up solid, if not elite numbers for Philadelphia during their tenures with the club. Domínguez compiled a 19-17 record with a tidy 3.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 253 strikeouts in 220 2/3 innings during his six years with the Phillies. More importantly, he was dominant for Philadelphia in the postseason, posting a 2-0 record with a stellar 1.13 ERA with a whopping 25 strikeouts in just 16 total innings over 15 playoff appearances with the club. 

As for Hoffman, he did even better, amassing an 8-5 record with an impressive 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 158 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in his two-year stint with the Phillies. His playoff numbers with Philadelphia might be another story, but he appears to have cleaned up his act with the Blue Jays this time around.

Safe to say the Phillies have yet to find the adequate replacement for both players since their departure from the organization.

Given their proven track record and what they have done for the Blue Jays so far, it makes one wonder if both Hoffman and Domínguez could have made a significant difference had they remained with the Phillies this year with those key NLDS games on the line. But for now, Phillies fans are just left with the thought of “what if” as they can only continue to watch the duo do their thing in their postseason run with the Blue Jays.