Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman shows Orioles his shoulder is fine as he picks up first save for Toronto
Jeff Hoffman isn’t one to forgive and forget. The former first-round pick had been wanting to even the score against the Baltimore Orioles for several months. The moment finally arrived Sunday.
The added motivation stems from the fact that Hoffman initially expected to be joining the Blue Jays’ division rivals. He verbally agreed to a multi-year deal during the off-season only to see the Orioles back out after their medical staff had concerns about the health of his right shoulder.
Baltimore wasn’t the only team to raise a red flag. Atlanta also walked away from a potential deal, which allowed the Jays to swoop in and sign Hoffman to a three-year contract worth $33 million (U.S.) to replace Jordan Romano as their closer.
Jays fans and the local media are still getting to know the hard-throwing reliever. He seems a little too good-natured and easygoing to hang onto a lot of resentment against the Orioles and yet, like any professional athlete, he used it as motivation in his buildup for the regular season.
The final verdict on Hoffman’s multi-year deal won’t be known for awhile, but he sent a clear message Sunday. In his first save opportunity with the Jays,
Hoffman retired all three batters he faced in his first save opportunity with the Jays, striking out two, to preserve a 3-1 victory over the Orioles.
“I never set foot through the door there, so the feelings can’t be too hard,” Hoffman told the Star. “It did make my off-season a little more chaotic, everything that happened. But … I don’t care what team it is, if they’ve wronged me, if they haven’t wronged me. At the end of the day, I have to get those three guys out for us to win.”
Hoffman’s outing capped a strong day for the Jays’ pitching staff. Starter Chris Bassitt allowed one run in six innings while scattering eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Brendon Little returned from a minor injury to toss a scoreless seventh. while Yariel Rodriguez was equally effective in the eighth.
If the Jays are going to win a lot of games this year, it will be based on this model. Get an early lead and rely on the pitching staff to carry the rest of the load. It remains to be seen whether an aging group of pitchers will be able to handle that burden long term, but the strategy worked in the series finale.
