Blue Jays manager John Schneider breaks silence on controversial Jose Berrios hook
Managerial autonomy, or the lack thereof, became a talking point after the Jays were swept out of an American League wild-card series in early October. After José Berríos was removed in the fourth inning of a scoreless Game 2, many believed the idea came from the front office, not the coaching staff.
After the Game 2 loss, Schneider appeared to even hint at that himself: “You can sit here and second-guess me, second-guess the organization, second-guess anybody. I get that.” On Tuesday, in his first public remarks since the night of that infamous loss, he was singing a noticeably different tune.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Blue Jays manager John Schneider had a lot of time to reflect after his team was eliminated from the post-season by the Minnesota Twins, and there’s something he wants to set the record straight on: in-game decisions are made by him and him alone.
Managerial autonomy, or the lack thereof, became a talking point after the Jays were swept out of an American League wild-card series in early October. After José Berríos was removed in the fourth inning of a scoreless Game 2, many believed the idea came from the front office, not the coaching staff.
After the Game 2 loss, Schneider appeared to even hint at that himself: “You can sit here and second-guess me, second-guess the organization, second-guess anybody. I get that.” On Tuesday, in his first public remarks since the night of that infamous loss, he was singing a noticeably different tune.
“First and foremost, the decisions that are made in real time are always mine,” Schneider said. “I think that one got a little bit of extra attention because of the magnitude of the game, how José was pitching. I think going forward, (it’s about) me being better in those times to pivot if I need to.
“A lot of different people, we prepare for different games in different ways. At the end of the day, they scored two runs, we didn’t score any. I understand how it’s viewed, and I think I just need to be better in those spots going forward.”
Schneider conceded it took a lot of time to get over the bitter taste of that loss. He reached out to several players on the roster, some of whom didn’t hide their disappointment in how Berríos was handled, to further explain what the organization had been thinking and to talk about ways to avoid similar issues in the future.
Free-agent Whit Merrifield, who “hated” the decision, was among the most vocal critics, but previous reports suggested members of the starting rotation approached Schneider after the game and said they knew it wasn’t his idea. Berríos was also emotionally distraught when speaking to the media following the loss.
Schneider took over from Charlie Montoyo midway through the 2022 season. He has compiled a 135-101 record in the regular season, but has yet to win a playoff game in four attempts. Prior to being swept by the Twins in 2023, the Jays were also swept by the Mariners in 2022.
Despite the lack of October success, Schneider received a vote of confidence from the front office. The biggest change on his coaching staff saw the removal of Dave Hudgens as a hitting strategist and Don Mattingly having an offensive co-ordinator title added to his bench coach duties.
DeMarlo Hale also signed on as associate manager, while Carlos Febles was hired to replace the retired Luis Rivera as third base coach.
