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Fans outraged after Blue Jays pull Jose Berrios from Game 2 in 4th inning

Toronto manager John Schneider made a bold move to pull Jose Berrios early in Game 2 and it immediately backfired.

Fans outraged after Blue Jays pull Jose Berrios from Game 2 in 4th inning

The Toronto Blue Jays were eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday and a controversial pitching decision took centre stage for the second straight postseason.

Toronto starter José Berríos took the mound in Wednesday's Game 2 against the Minnesota Twins and held his former team in check over the first three innings. He was in fine form with his current club’s season on the line.

The 29-year-old righty had surrendered just three hits while striking out five to begin the do-or-die contest. And yet, manager John Schneider went to the bullpen following a leadoff walk to Royce Lewis in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Blue Jays removed Jose Berrios in the fourth inning despite his strong performance. (Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
The Blue Jays removed Jose Berrios in the fourth inning despite his strong performance. (Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)

Despite Berríos’ modest pitch count of 47, Schneider called upon Yusei Kikuchi, opting for the lefty-lefty matchup with Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff due up next. That gamble catered toward analytics rather than trusting the eye test.

Schneider’s unpopular decision, of course, was heavily scrutinized amongst the Blue Jays fan base.

Kikuchi, making his first relief appearance of 2023, proceeded to allow a hard-hit single and a walk to load the bases with zero outs for All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, who singled home the game’s first run. Willi Castro drove home another by hitting into a double play.

The Blue Jays couldn't muster any offence of their own, with the 2-0 score holding up for the remainder of the contest as Minnesota swept the series.

One factor that likely led to Kikuchi’s arrival from the bullpen was that left-handers slashed just .214/.270/.389 against him during the regular season. Berríos, meanwhile, allowed a .261/.323/.450 slash line.

Some of Toronto's players discussed the move after the game, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saying "everybody was surprised." Veteran Whit Merrifield was more critical in his post-game comments.

"I hated it, frankly," Merrifield said, per Sports Illustrated's Mitch Bannon. "It's not what cost us the game, but it's the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball."

Schneider's decision to pull Berrios comes on the heels of another scrutinized pitching decision in Game 2 of the 2022 AL wild-card series against the Seattle Mariners. Kevin Gausman was removed from that contest, which sparked the Mariners' dramatic comeback.