Blue Jays' Hoffman teases Orioles after dominant performance

While Jeff Hoffman may have failed a physical for the Baltimore Orioles in the off-season, he's been a tremendous success for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The team's new closer shut down his former suitor for the third time this season on Sunday as he continued to quell concerns that arose about his shoulder during the preliminary stages of his near-agreement with Baltimore during free agency.

Hoffman entered the game in the ninth and allowed just one hit while striking out four over two superlative innings as Toronto completed a 10th inning comeback. He induced six whiffs on 24 pitches while working his way through the top of Baltimore's order.

After securing the 7-6 win by freezing Ramon Laureano with a slider for a called third strike, Hoffman made a gesture indicating how he feels about the Orioles' decision.

As he walked off the mound, Hoffman blew a kiss toward Baltimore's dugout, seemingly teasing the Jays' AL-East rival after handing them their ninth loss of the year.

"They're all nice, (but) these ones are a little bit more, for me," said Hoffman to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling after the game. "(It's) just how I am, how I'm built. It's nice to come in here and to put my best foot forward and have a good showing."

During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast during Spring Training, Hoffman responded "yeah" when asked if he wanted the ball against the Orioles as often as he can, adding that he likes "the smoke."

The six-foot-five right-hander is certainly following through on his words, having shut out Baltimore over four innings this season, allowing only two hits and striking out seven. Hoffman has three saves in eight appearances so far as a Blue Jay, and has pitched to a 0.96 ERA over 9.1 innings while recording 13 strikeouts and only one walk.

Hoffman ranks fourth among qualified Major League relievers with a 26.3 per cent strikeout minus walk rate since 2023, an important evaluation tool for relievers as it isolates outcomes that they are able to control (a bad defender can't affect a strikeout or a walk).

The Blue Jays' previous closer, Jordan Romano, was signed by Hoffman's old club, the Philadelphia Phillies, roughly two weeks after Toronto opted to non-tender him ahead of the Nov. 22 deadline last year.

Romano has one save in two opportunities this season for the Phillies but has fallen out of their committee of closers after posting a 10.50 ERA over 6.0 innings.

Initially drafted ninth overall by Toronto in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, Hoffman made his way back to the club after stints with the Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Phillies. He was included as part of the package the Blue Jays sent to the Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins at the 2015 trade deadline.