Blue Jays manager Schneider reveals Ohtani strategy for 2025 World Series

During the marathon Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani reached base a record-tying nine times, including getting intentionally walked four times.

As strange as it may sound, with the contest going 18 innings, putting Ohtani on base as many times as Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider did was by design — and more than just him looking to avoid any more damage dealt by the Dodgers slugger.

Schneider was looking ahead to the next game.

In a nearly 90-minute podcast interview with ESPN's Jeff Passan and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts published Tuesday, Schneider revealed he was looking to tire out Ohtani, scheduled to pitch the next day, in Game 4.

"I've gotta ask you a question," Roberts asked Schneider. "I know you don't want to put anyone on base, but was there any thought to, He's pitching the next day and just kind of tax him?"

"Yeah, a little bit," Schneider replied. "I was just like, 'OK, I'm gonna get him out on the bases.'"

The Blue Jays manager then expanded: "I don't know how (Ohtani) does what he does, for one, and I've watched him and see what he does with his process for getting ready to pitch and then getting ready to hit, and then he's on base a lot and he's running and he's unbelievable going first to third and stealing bases. So, part of it was, 'Yeah, man, I just don't want to see you swing right now and maybe we can get you tired for tomorrow.'

"It's the first time I've said it publicly."

As part of the long interview he conducted with Passan, Schneider also touched on some of the controversy involving Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

"Looking at it now, I think what we could have done as a staff is have Izzy get off base a little bit more," Schenieder said, referring to Kiner-Falefa's potentially game-winning run at home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7. "Now, we did and we do know that Will (Smith) will back-pick to Max (Muncy) at third. That's in our advance report. Izzy is a very smart baseball player, he's aware of that. I do think the odds of Daulton (Varsho) lining out to the third baseman are probably pretty low, so the third baseman is probably going to be keeping the runner pretty close for obvious reasons and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto could pick, the dude's an athlete. So, all of these things are in Izzy's mind. ...

"(On the play,) I thought one of three things was going to happen: I thought the ball was going to sneak under (Miguel Rojas's) glove and we win, I thought he was going to catch it, fall down and kind of throw a worm-burner from his ass and we win or, third, it was gonna be catch it, fall and throw wide. That was within like one second, so, when he did kind of the third one and threw it, I'm just waiting for it to go to the backstop, and it never did.

"And as far as running through the plate, if there was one person who I thought would do it, it would be Izzy because when we had him in 2024, we talked about the play when you do that at second and try to get a run from first and third, and he was all in on that. I think he actually did it once. I know he has since said that he was trying to break up a double play with Varsho running, but baseball happens. Guy made a great play."

Schneider also addressed Jeff Hoffman's comments about costing the Blue Jays a World Series after he gave up a game-tying homer in the top of the ninth inning to the light-hitting Rojas.

"That's what closers are gonna say, that's what accountable people are gonna say. For one, I think anyone in our room is gonna say that, but it's bigger than Hoff," said Schneider. "Baseball happens. You were the right guy for the right time and the stars didn't align for that moment.

"The thing that we've really tried to talk about and these more so with specific guys that were highlighted in some of these spots we're talking about is, 'This will not define you and this will not define us.' It's how we got there and how we move on from it. It's an unbelievable life experience and professional experience for these guys, and if it doesn't make you better, then you're just missing out on it. So, by no means did Jeff Hoffman cost us the World Series. By no means did anyone cost us the World Series. The Dodgers earned the World Series. So, that's what I want my guys to think about it."

The Blue Jays have begun their 2026 season slowly, going 9-13, but have won their last two games.

Meanwhile, there's been no championship hangover for the defending champion Dodgers, who hold the best record in baseball, at 16-6.

The Blue Jays are in the middle of a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. First pitch for Tuesday's matchup between Patrick Corbin and Jack Kochanowicz is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet+.