In the sixth inning of Game 5 in Seattle, Alejandro Kirk legged out what could have been a single, stretched it into a double, and came home on an Ernie Clement single. The Blue Jays dug out erupted in joy as Kirk beat a wild throw for a 2-1 lead. It meant three straight wins was well within reach for John Schneider.

But it only held up until the top of the eighth.

After ace Kevin Gausman’s brilliant five and two-thirds innings, where he allowed only one run due to Eugenio Suarez’s solo homer and Louis Varland’s scoreless 1.1 innings, Manager Schneider called on left-hander Brendon Little. The move backfired instantly.

Little, who has been recording a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over his last 21 appearances, according to Sportsnet Stats, was sent to face home-run champion Cal Raleigh. The MVP candidate crushed a leadoff home run to left field that tied the game 2-2. Little couldn’t settle down after the first sequence of his pitches.

Losing his command, the 29-year-old walked the next two batters, Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor. With no outs, two runners on, and the game tied, Schneider pulled the struggling Little and then brought in Seranthony Dominguez to face a nightmare situation. He couldn’t stop the bleeding either. Dominguez instead hit Randy Arozarena and eventually loaded the bases. That brought Eugenio Suarez to the plate, who opened the game completely with a grand slam and took a 6-2 lead.

The Jays never recovered. Their ninth-inning lineup of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Andres Gimenez, and Joey Loperfido could not tally a single run. The blame, though, was only to be placed on the eight-inning decision.

Jeff Hoffman, who pitched the eighth inning of Game 4 (8-2 Toronto’s victory), or Dominguez could have been Schneider’s answer for a clean inning. But the manager had a different strategy in mind.

“I wanted to see that part of the lineup see different (relievers),” Schneider said. “We talked about it all series. Little’s been one of our best pitchers in big spots. Tough guy to elevate… No one feels worse than Ser(Anthony) right now, or me. But I trust every single guy on this roster. Today it didn’t work out, but we’ve won two games in a row a whole lot this year.”

In being swept in the postseason two years in a row, Schneider has had quiet a few lessons to learn. Two instances that top his list include: Game 2 of the 2022 Wild Card Series when he pulled Kevin Gausman, sparking their collapse against Seattle and when he prematurely ended  José Berríos’ 2023 playoff start in Minnesota.

The manager takes in these missteps as a learning advantage: adjusting from the things you messed up. Last month, he worded it as: “The more you can learn, the faster you learn.” But with the Blue Jays on the brink of missing another trip to the World Series, fans haven’t been as kind and understanding.

Fans unleash on Schneider

Many fans who often defended their manager, even after pulling Gausman in the 2022 wild-card series, feel this decision was their boiling point. “I can’t wait to hear what Schneider has to say about this one. I normally defend the guy but this one is unforgivable!”

It was a flashback to the 2022 game, where the Blue Jays held a massive 8-1 lead over Seattle. Just then, Schneider pulled his ace, Gausman, which sparked the largest road comeback in playoff history. Then or now, the sentiment isn’t hard to replicate.

“John Schneider may have just ended our season. Completely Inexcusable.  We are way better than the Mariners; there is no reason why we’re going to be playing with our season on the line on Sunday.” The Blue Jays ended their regular season with four more wins than Seattle, and after losing first two games at home in ACL, Schneider’s team outscored the Mariners 21-6. It looked every bit an easy win by sixth inning for Toronto, warranting fan fury.

“John Schneider just made one of the most famous errors in Toronto sports history. One that is extremely hard to come back from,” another expressed. In the 2022 collapse, Schneider called on Tim Mayza. And this time, he called Little, who had a 2.03 ERA and .539 opposition OPS  with a 1.26 WHIP before the All-Star break, had an awful .802 opposition OPS with a 1.81 WHIP in the following stretch.

“One of the best pitchers in April/May. Horrible since August,” another argued. Then came the sarcasm. “At least we saw history tonight. The worst pitching decision in the history of Earth!” The decision now leaves the Blue Jays in a do-or-die situation.