If not for the ALDS series, the postseason has not been kind to the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite ruling the American League throughout the year, they opened the ALCS series with 0-2. Although the Jays managed to win the next two games to tie the series, they now stand on the verge of elimination after losing Game 5 in Seattle. And no one could be more devastated than that Jays’ pitcher Brendon Little, who did not have his best night at T-Mobile Park.

Well, the Blue Jays were up 2–1 heading into the eighth inning, and it looked like they were on track to keep their winning streak alive. But Cal Raleigh and Eugenio Suarez had some other plans. Raleigh led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run to tie it up, and just a few batters later, Suarez crushed an opposite-field grand slam that flipped the game on its head. Result? The Mariners walked away with a 6–2 win at T-Mobile Park, leaving Blue Jays pitcher Brendon Little on the tough end of a night he’ll want to forget.

“Obviously, it feels terrible. The whole game, they put us in a position to win. I came in and really couldn’t have pitched worse,” Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson quoted Little.

The Jays got off to a strong start thanks to Kevin Gausman, who tossed 5.2 solid innings with four SOs and just one run allowed. Things looked good heading into the eighth, with Toronto holding a one-run lead. And that’s when Brendon Little came in to face Seattle’s power hitters: Cal Raleigh, Jorge Polanco, and Josh Naylor.

Little ran into trouble immediately. Raleigh led off with a homer, turning Little’s sinker into a game-tying shot over left field. And instead of bouncing back, Toronto’s pitcher walked the next two batters, Polanco and Naylor, forcing the Blue Jays to pull him for Dominguez. So, as Little himself admitted, the Jays just lost the game from a winning position.

Moreover, the outing also highlighted the stark contrast between Little’s regular-season and postseason numbers. Reportedly, he had a strong regular season, with a 3.03 ERA and just two HRs allowed over an AL-leading 79 appearances. But things have been rough lately, including the playoffs. Here, he’s posted a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over his last 21 outings, and he also took the loss in Game 1 of the ALCS.

And now, Game 5 stats just got added to his underwhelming postseason record.

The Blue Jays manager defends his strategy

“We talked about it all series. Little’s been one of our best pitchers in big spots. Tough guy to elevate. Cal’s a really good hitter.” Blue Jays manager John Schneider gives the credit to Raleigh for turning the tables.

Moreover, Schneider also hinted that part of his thinking might have been trying to force switch-hitters Raleigh and Polanco to hit from the right side. Naylor, the third batter Little faced, bats left-handed. Hence, instead of giving Dominguez a clean inning or bringing in closer Jeff Hoffman, who had thrown a perfect eighth in Toronto’s Game 4 win over Seattle, Schneider stuck with Little.

“I thought about it, for sure,” Schneider said regarding using Hoffman earlier. “Decisions are hard. I think being convicted in a process is important. You make a decision and you leave it behind you. It’s part of baseball. Second-guessing is part of it.”

Well, the Blue Jays fans are, unfortunately, no strangers to bullpen collapses this season, but this one stung. Looking ahead to Game 6, the deciding matchup, the spotlight now shifts to rookie Trey Yesavage, who will take the mound in Toronto in Game 6 to try to keep the Jays’ season alive.