The Toronto Blue Jays’ magical season came to a heartbreaking end on Saturday night. They were this close to ending the 32-year-old championship drought, yet they couldn’t reach there. They lost 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7.

Even Canada’s prime minister couldn’t help but express his emotions after that gut-punch of a finale. Mark Carney on X wrote, “Absolutely (heartbreaking) result. Congratulations to the @BlueJays for a tremendous season and for battling right to the end. You’ve made all of proud with how hard you fought, the risks you took, and the teamwork you lived throughout. An inspiration to us all, pointing to an ever brighter future for all of us in the years ahead.”

But right now, no one gets the pain more than the one who piggybacked the team till here—Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and he didn’t go around hiding his pain. After the loss, he had one message to his fans: “I got to be very thankful, very grateful for our fans, for the city… I’m sorry, because we couldn’t give that title that we know the entire city wants.”

But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did everything he could. The 25-year-old put up a masterclass all postseason—eight homers, 15 RBIs, and an eye-watering 1.289 OPS. In the World Series, he hit .333 with two home runs, three RBIs, and seven runs scored. He was not just the Toronto Blue Jays’ best hitter—he was their heartbeat.

But baseball is a cruel sport. In game 7, the Toronto Blue Jays’ best chance was in the ninth when pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa came inches away from scoring what could’ve been the walk-off run. Then two innings later, LA slammed the door with a game-ending double play that ended up silencing the Rogers crowd.

And the sight to see after the Dodgers screamed and puffed about their back-to-back championship was brutal. Guerrero sat alone in the dugout, head down, and was the last Blue Jay to leave the field. He had told his teammates ahead of this game, “If you’re nervous tonight, look at me.” And he meant it. He showed that he is a leader and a champ in his own right.

The Toronto Blue Jays might have fallen short, but with Guerrero Jr. leading the reins, this story feels far from over.

Jeff Hoffman takes the blame for the Blue Jays’ loss!

For most of the year, Jeff Hoffman was the guy you wanted with the ball when it came to the crucial games. He closed out 59 regular-season games and six playoff wins for the Toronto Blue Jays. But on the biggest stage of all, he faltered. In Game 7, the Jays were holding on to a 4-3 lead, just four outs away from history. Hoffman was called in to seal it to etch his name forever in Toronto’s baseball history. But with one out in the top of the ninth, Dodgers veteran Miguel Rojas, playing in the final game of his career, took him deep to tie it.

From there, things started to unravel. In the 11th inning, Shane Bieber came on short rest and gave up another go-ahead homer to Will Smith. And just like that, the Dodgers ended up on the celebration side, and Vladimir and Co. were in tears over how it all slipped away. And Hoffman, when asked about what went wrong, didn’t hide his emotions.

“I cost everybody in here a World Series ring… It feels pretty sh*tty,” he said, via the Toronto Sun. “Gotta execute better in that spot and not let that happen. It sucks. Supposed to end differently… just one pitch.”

Manager John Schneider, though, chose to focus on how far this team came, and he is not wrong. Because think about itlast year the Blue Jays finished dead last in the AL East with a 74-88 record. This year, they have jumped 20 wins and took the division title over the New York Yankees on a tiebreaker. Jays even beat the same Bronx Bombers in the ALDS and went on to outlast Seattle in a seven-game ALCS.

Schneider admitted, “It will hurt for a few days, a few weeks, when you’re that close. The positive person in me will take some time to digest it,” Schneider said. “I think right now you just have to kind of, I don’t know, take in what happened. But going forward, you know, the beauty of baseball is that it goes on. There will be spring training in February.” 

Sure, it is a tough pill to swallow, but the Jays need to look forward to ensure next time they get back to playing in the final and even have the bringing in of Canada itself.