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The Toronto Blue Jays, winners of the American League pennant last season, have struggled to start the new campaign, and it boiled over with their manager, John Schneider, on Tuesday night at the Rogers Centre.
Schneider was ejected during the Blue Jays’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated them in seven games in a 2025 World Series thriller.
Schneider took issue with his pitcher, Kevin Gausman, being called up in the top of the fifth inning when the Blue Jays were already down 2-0 in the game. The bunt call allowed Hyeseong Kim to go from first to second base and Schneider dropped it.
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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider yells at umpire Dan Merzel during the fifth inning of their MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Red-faced, Schneider jumped out of the dugout and got right in the face of home plate umpire Dan Merzel, who had umpired Gausman. Merzel quickly ejected Schneider from the contest, but the veteran Blue Jays manager would get his money’s worth if he wasn’t allowed to return to the game.
Schneider was clearly pissed, face to face with Merzel as he let him hear his frustration. The passionate argument went on for about 30 seconds before Schneider walked back to the dugout and into the clubhouse.
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There are times when managers will get an ejection to pump up their players, especially if they are on a layoff or struggling like the Blue Jays are to open this season. It’s unknown if it was the play for Schneider or he couldn’t control himself after a play he deemed legal by his pitcher.
If motivation was the end goal, Toronto didn’t see it through as they fell to Los Angeles, 4-1, to drop to 4-7 on the season. In fact, Alex Freeland brought Kim home when play resumed after the ejection with an RBI single.
Much of the Blue Jays’ struggles can be chalked up to a lack of depth as key players are injured to start the season. Toronto also announced before Tuesday’s first pitch that starter Cody Ponce is likely out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL.
Kevin Gausman pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ont., April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
The Blue Jays are missing catcher Alejandro Kirk, pitchers Jose Berrios and Trey Yesavage and third baseman Addison Barger, among others. Anthony Santander was also moved to 60-day IL on April 5 due to a shoulder injury.
It doesn’t help that the Dodgers, enjoying early-season success, routed the Blue Jays 14-2 on Monday night.
“I don’t want that woe is me, you know what I mean. It’s what can we do now?” Schneider told reporters after Monday’s loss. “Right now, not only is our depth being tested, our creativity is being tested as a group. How are we going to cover this? What are we going to do? It’s not always perfect, but we take a lot of pride in it and so do players.”
Schneider added that his players are in a “good frame of mind” despite some problems early on. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint, in a 162-game MLB season. The Blue Jays know this, and they will have to keep pushing forward and get creative, as Schneider said, to right the ship.
John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays walks back to his dugout after a pitching change during the second inning of a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla., on Feb. 27, 2026. (Mark Taylor/Getty Images)
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Perhaps the fiery sending off was one of the manager’s creative moments. We will have to see if this leads to any change going forward.
