Hoffman's Struggles: Blue Jays' Ninth-Inning Nightmare

0:00It's April 17th, from the locker room to your ears. This is Toronto Blue Jays News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Jeff Hoffman came to the Toronto Blue Jays as a top shelf closer after shining with the Phillies, but man, it's been rough. Fans roasted him all off-season for that ninth inning Homer he gave up in last year's World Series to Miguel Rojas, a solid pitch that just got pulled. Now in 2026, his stats are screaming, struggle city. He's posting a 4.52 ERA in the ninth, which lands him fifth on the Blue Jays all-time worst list for pitchers, with at least 35 innings there. Names like Cliff Poliet at 7.22 and Randy Myers at 5.74 sit above him, but Hoffman's name in that group, not what anyone signed up for. The heat's real, because the Jays banked on him locking down games like an all-star. Instead, he's one of their weakest ninth inning arms ever, turning potential wins into

1:01headaches for the squad and supporters. This week against the Milwaukee Brewers, he blew a 6-4 lead in the ninth, coughing up two earned runs in just two thirds of an inning. That forced extras, even though Toronto pulled it out. He's fanning 18 guys in 8.1 innings total, but 10 hits and four runs show the controls off. Hoffman can't rewind the tape, but he can lock in and dominate from here. Blue Jays Nation is waiting for that fire to return.