AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: MARINERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 18, 2025

John Schneider

Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Has George been able to do anything today and how is he feeling?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Feeling better today. CT scan he got last night, negative. So just a contusion as we say. But he's getting treatment, he's going to be doing some stuff here in a little bit, probably moving around. But feeling a lot better than he did yesterday.

Q. What about Bo going into today, has he started running the bases again?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: No, not running the bases, running more. You guys have probably seen him in the outfield, but not on the bases yet. May do that today. But he's definitely making progress. Definitely making progress with his swing as well too.

Q. Further on George, what does he have to do to be ready for tomorrow physically with the knee?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Just tell me he's good to go, and he's good to go. George has played through a lot, probably more than you guys know this year, but over the course of his career too. So just make sure that it's not bothering him swinging and not bothering him running. But he's a tough dude, so I'm hopeful and optimistic that he'll be good to go.

Q. Just looking back to last night, over the course of a season, you make dozens, hundreds of decisions. How do you manage the what-ifs that come with all those decisions?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: It's part of the job. Every decision you make that doesn't work out, I regret. You know what I mean? No matter who it is. Whether it's a hitter, a pinch hitter, a pitcher, a starting pitcher, it's part of the job, you know. So there's what-ifs always. You know what I mean? There's what-ifs always in this game. I think that you learn from 'em. You trust your people around you when you are making decisions. You make 'em and you move on. That's where I'm at with it.

So it sucks. We still took two out of three there. We got the series back here. We're excited to play here in front of our fans. But there's what-ifs from day one of spring training. Did we schedule this meeting too early, did we not, whatever it is. There's always what-ifs, but it's part of the job and you move on and get ready for tomorrow.

Q. The decision last night, I know how you guys go through the pregame preparations, if this happens, we're going to do this, if that happens, we're going to do that. How much of what you decided was this is part of what our pregame preparation is or this is instantaneous, at this moment I want to do this?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: You try to do -- I think when you're making decisions, you have to be prepared for anything, really, so we spend a lot of time talking through specific spots, specific spots that have happened, meaning, like, guys that have seen certain arms, guys that have not. So again, I think that you try to slow those decisions down in real time. It wasn't instantaneous. I think you're watching where their lineup is unfolding and you trust that the work that you've done is going to lead to success. It doesn't always happen every time. But not flying by the seat of our pants by any means. Whenever a decision doesn't work out, I get that it gets magnified.

Q. I want to ask you about Trey, but just a supplementary further to what Steve asked. Last night, you did not sound regretful about the choices that you made and you just said it didn't work out. Understandable. On the morning after, the afternoon after, do you still think it was not a mistake, it was just the way it worked out, or in retrospect, was it a mistake? And then I want to ask you about Trey.

JOHN SCHNEIDER: To define a mistake -- I said last night, we've gotten to the point where we've gotten to because of every single guy on our team. I can sit here and say it's not a mistake, and you guys will all write that I said it's not a mistake, and I'll get crushed on social media for saying that. I get it.

I trust my players. I trust my players. In hindsight, I had a couple other options to do. That's what I decided to do. So, again, I have all the information that I need, and I don't think I made a mistake. Players have to go perform. There is always risk when you put a player in a situation that he won't get the job done. That's part of the game.

But no, I stick by my players, I stick by my decision, I leave them behind me. I've learned that over the years. I'm totally focused on the game tomorrow.

Q. Just about Trey, you've got a 22-year-old rookie and the season really is resting on his shoulders. What gives you confidence in what he's able to give you tomorrow?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: I think just what he's done this whole year, not just here with us in the big leagues, but over the course of his season. He's pitched in a lot of big games. He's pitched in big regular season games, he's pitched in big postseason games, and he's handled himself well.

So again, I don't want to put all of the pressure on Trey. He's the starting pitcher. We're going to have nine guys in the lineup that got to do their job and guys that got to do their job on defense too. So we got all the confidence in the world that he'll have the right mindset. He's got to go out and do what he does.

Q. What have the conversations been like in the past, say, 20 hours, whether it was on the plane, in the clubhouse, in meetings, especially with Trey, but just in general with the players?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: It's been pretty normal. I think you guys talked to a few of them yesterday in Seattle, and these guys are pretty steady. Everything gets put into a vacuum game by game, inning by inning, day by day. We wanted to get the series back here and we did that, and I think guys are really confident playing here. So that's been the vibe the whole year, that's been the vibe today, so really nothing has changed.

You don't have to give them a rah-rah speech, you don't have to do any kind of stuff like that. They're ready for it. Yeah, that's the beauty of this team. They move on to the next thing.

Q. I'm just wondering, the lineup changes that they made yesterday, how does that change kind of the complexion of the top of their lineup and how you attack that group?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: I think that you're still trying to get certain guys against certain guys, and they got to go out and make pitches. I think they're just trying to get their best hitters up more, to be honest with you. Naylor's swinging the bat well. Polanco is having a really good postseason. So, I mean, you get what they're doing. Julio swung the bat well.

So I think you just try to get the right guys in at the right spots. I think they do a good job of kind of protecting some lefties and things like that. But it doesn't really change much.

Q. Then going into tomorrow, is it an all-hands-on-deck situation for the pitching side? How are you going to manage that with knowing you need to win two here?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, well, starting with tomorrow. You got to win tomorrow. So we're trying to win one game in a row. We've done that 99 times this year. So everyone will be available that is physically available. You'll see some guys that you normally haven't seen in the bullpen and you try to pick the right spots for them. But we want to try to operate as normal as possible, but if situations pop up, I think everyone will be available.

Q. With Trey, the Mariners, when they saw him first, there was -- less eager on the splitter, kind of like the Yankees for a comparison. Is that an adjustment that Trey will need to look at in terms of how they approached him and what does that adjustment game kind of look like for him?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, I think there's definitely going to be an adjustment. What that is I'll keep with us. You know what I mean? But I think that, yeah, that's the cat-and-mouse game of a seven-game series when you're facing a starter a couple times.

Q. When you've got all those guys available that you're talking about in the bullpen, first sign of trouble for Trey, do you try to get him out of there? How do you kind of go about that?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Read the swings they're taking. You got to see how the game unfolds a little bit. It's not going to be a set script or anything like that. I think that in games that you have to win, you may be a little bit more aggressive, but at the same time, don't want to deviate too much from what we've been doing.

Q. Does it get harder or less difficult to manage when you get to Game 6 of a series like this just because you don't have to think as much three, four days down the road in terms of matchups, but also everybody's kind of seen everybody at this point?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah, I think it's always difficult. I don't want to say it gets easier, by any means. It's always difficult. But I think it comes down to guys in situations either making big pitches, big plays, or big swings. I think that familiarity amongst the teams is a real thing. Amongst starting pitchers, it's a really thing. Everyone is going to have to make adjustments.

So I think just the biggest thing is you can't go out and try to do something you're not capable of doing. And that's what this team is really good at. So you got to try to put guys in good spots and they got to go out and they got to have their moment.

Q. Forgive me for going back to last night quickly. I wanted to clarify something I hadn't seen. Was Hoffman available last night, like physically available?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Were you at the game?

Q. I just meant, like, physically available. Sorry, I don't mean to belabor the point. I just wanted to make sure that he was physically available.

JOHN SCHNEIDER: He's on the roster, yeah.

Q. Just a follow-up -- different question. You're seeing Gilbert again tomorrow. You could argue that the Gilbert you saw in Game 2, he's maybe coming off the 15 innings, the relief appearance. What do you make of the challenge of sort of regular rest Logan Gilbert in the game tomorrow?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Every game's a new challenge. They have really good pitching. We'll be ready for 'em.

Q. When you say guys who aren't usually in the bullpen could be available, would Max Scherzer be within that group? Is that enough time for him to recover?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Yeah. Um-hum.

THE MODERATOR: John, does the baseball fan in you have any thoughts on Shohei Ohtani last night?

JOHN SCHNEIDER: Whoa. Um, wow! I mean, I think, in the postseason, when you're talking about either a guy going six innings, punching out 10, or hitting three homers, he's standing up here and he's famous. The dude did both. Pretty incredible. Changing the way the game is being played right now. Pretty unbelievable.