SEATTLE – Moments after the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse opened Friday night, media members swarmed Brendon Little at his locker in the visiting clubhouse at T-Mobile Park.
Middle relievers are typically left alone in these settings, even in the playoffs when there are often dozens of reporters in a clubhouse following each game. Yet this was no ordinary game and everyone in that clubhouse knew it, so the crowd around Little expanded.
In the eighth inning, with the Blue Jays leading 2-1 and the ALCS tied 2-2, Little allowed a game-tying home run to Cal Raleigh. He then walked the next two batters before giving way to Seranthony Dominguez, who hit Randy Arozarena to load the bases. Moments later, Eugenio Suarez hit a game-winning grand slam off Dominguez and a near-win turned into a crushing loss for the Blue Jays, who will face elimination Sunday in Game 6.
With the cameras pointing at him and his teammates changing quietly in the background, Little attempted to make sense of what had just happened.
"Obviously it feels terrible,” Little said. “We fought the whole game to put us in a position to win, (I) came in and really couldn't have pitched worse.”
Afterwards, the decision to use Little instead of closer Jeff Hoffman was widely discussed and debated. Understandably so, given the stakes involved. But regardless of whether it was the right decision, the repercussions of that move were felt deeply by Little, Dominguez and their teammates after the game.
First, they had to make sense of what had happened, then they had to try to move past it.
“No one feels worse than Little,” said manager John Schneider. “No one feels worse than Ser right now, or me. But I trust every single guy on this roster.”
Soon after Little blew the lead, Kevin Gausman approached the left-hander for a brief conversation.
“You’ve gotten so many big outs for us,” Gausman told Little as the team packed for an overnight trip to Toronto. “You’re going to continue to get big outs for us.
“Forget about it. You can have this flight to think about it, but once we land in Toronto, we’re got to turn the page.”
Those words of support from Gausman and others meant a lot to the 29-year-old Little, who’s pitching in his first post-season.
“They've been great,” Little said, his voice breaking. “It's been a long year. It's been a fun year. They've been everything. Picked me up when (my) stuff is terrible. So, he was awesome, but honestly you kind of feel worse blowing a great start from him."
After a brief scrum, Little sat quietly at his locker waiting for the bus that would take the team from T-Mobile Park to the Seattle airport. Nearby, Hoffman reflected on what his teammates must be feeling.
“This isn’t the first home run any of these guys have given up,” he said. “It just so happens that it’s in an important part of the year, but these guys are going to come back and be ready to go.”
A 10-year MLB veteran, Hoffman knows some losses sting more than others, but he tries to leave frustrating outings behind him when he leaves the stadium for the night. Experience has taught him that carrying that burden for days at a time doesn’t help him – or his teammates.
“Have a short memory, get back out there and do what you do,” Hoffman said, thinking back to a huge NLDS home run he allowed in 2023. “Get back in your groove, however you’ve got to find it.”
Gradually, the clubhouse emptied out as reporters left to meet their deadlines. By the time Dominguez emerged, the media throng had largely disappeared. Asked about the emotions of the day, he was clear and concise.
“I feel really bad,” Dominguez said, now dressed in street clothes. “Because I’m here to help the team win.”
The pitch he threw to Suarez was 99 m.p.h., but it caught a little too much of the plate.
“He just put a good swing on it,” Dominguez said. “He’s a really good player, and he did his job.”
With the clubhouse nearly empty and the game a little further in the rearview mirror, the chatter in the room picked up ever so slightly. It was now time to ‘flush it,’ to use the parlance of the clubhouse, and the remaining players knew it.
Standing at his locker, Hoffman remarked that the Blue Jays tend to play their best when they’re under pressure. A few minutes later, Dominguez struck a similar tone.
“Whatever happened happened,” Dominguez said. “It’s part of the game. I’ll just do my best.”
The task ahead of the Blue Jays is a daunting one: win two consecutive games with no margin for error. Yet as Schneider remarked, it’s something they’ve done many times already this season. Who’s to say they can’t do it once more?
“Our backs are going to be against the wall, great. We don't give a (expletive),” said Schneider. “So I hope those guys don't give a (expletive). Excuse my language. But it's going to be fun, and I hope these guys are ready for it. I know they will be ready for it.”
After Friday, they no longer have a choice.
