Blue Jays’ Schneider doesn’t blame IKF for Game 7 play

Orlando, Fla. – After watching the game countless times, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider doesn’t want to be criticized for throwing out Isiah Kiner-Falefa at home plate in Game 7 of the World Series – inches short of scoring the championship-winning run.

“I feel really bad for Izzy to take all the blame,” Schneider said Tuesday at baseball’s winter meetings. “Can we do a better job of getting Izzy down another step or two? Yeah, for sure.”

After Miguel Rojas hit a tying homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the ninth inning, Bo Bechette singled off Blake Snell with one out in the bottom half, and Kenner-Fifa entered as a pinch runner. Addison Barger walked, and Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, loading the bases.

Connor-Felifa took an unusually short 7.8-foot lead at the behest of third-base coach Carlos Fables, the fourth-shortest primary lead by a runner on third during the World Series, according to MLB Statcast. Kiner-Flefa’s 8.9-foot secondary lead when the pitcher released the ball was the eighth-shortest in third place during the series.

With the Dodgers playing in the infield, Dolton hit a 76.9 mph two-hopper to Varsho Rojas. The second baseman gloved the ball, stumbled slightly and regained his balance, then threw to catcher Will Smith, who lifted his right foot off the plate as he caught the ball and then pushed his spike back.

Plate umpire Jordan Baker signaled, ruling Smith had touched the plate just in front of the sliding corner-fifa’s left foot.

“I’ve watched that video 3,000 times, and 1,500 of them it looks like Will is off the plate, the other half, it looks like he’s on,” Schneider said.

Baker’s call was upheld after about 70 seconds of a video review.

“There’s video of Carlos telling him where to go,” said Schneider, 5 1/2 weeks after the Dodgers’ 5-4, 11-inning victory closed out their second straight title. “What hasn’t been talked about I think a lot is the fact that Will Smith likes to get back to third with left-handed hitters. It’s something we talked about before the series, which reminded Carlos Ezzi.”

“So it’s not a runner on third, going on contact, selling, if it’s a line drive you’re fine with it,” Schneider said. “It’s the bases loaded. A, you don’t want to pick back. B, you don’t want to double on a line drive. People said, ‘Oh, what are the odds that Varsh is going to get to third? Pretty low, right? That’s just where he doesn’t hit the ball.’

Schneider did not fault the IKF’s slide.

“I don’t think he could have done much,” explained the manager. “People said, ‘Can he run off the plate?’ Could he have cut off the head first? … In my head, the way Versh hit it, I thought one of three things was going to happen. I thought it was going to be fielded and Rojas fell back. The game is over. Fielded, falls, throws a milk burner, on the field of play, thrown on the wide field.

Ernie Clement followed with a 100.7 mph drive that center fielder Andy Paige touched on the warning track with a leaping backhand grab as he pulled over left fielder Keke Hernandez.

“Every time I go down a rabbit hole, I find myself in a new rabbit hole,” Schneider said. “I haven’t seen everything. At a regular-season game, at the end of the game, the next day or that night, boom, you’re checking the tape, you’re running back — I haven’t done it yet and I don’t know when I will. It might involve a beer or two while the kids sleep and I might throw some stuff at the wall.

Schneider has fond memories of the World Series.

“I think I’ll think about it until the day I leave this earth,” he said, “until you get another chance at that kind of squash.”

Schneider joked about finishing second to Cleveland’s Stephan Vogt for AL Manager of the Year — voting takes place before the postseason.

“It’s a wonderful award,” he said. “I was looking back at the previous winners. All those guys got fired pretty quickly after that.”