Fourteen years ago, after a highly successful senior season pitching which helped lead Shaker to a sectional title, Jeff Hoffman reached the Connie Mack World Series in New Mexico as a member of the South Troy Dodgers. On Friday night, Hoffman and his Toronto Blue Jays’ teammates start the first game of the MLB World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old right-hander serves as Toronto’s closer.
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Hoffman’s journey to reach the top of his sport hasn’t always been easy since he was drafted 9th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB draft, but he’s excited about the upcoming challenge against the team that won the World Series last year, the Dodgers.
“The only other time I was in the World Series was with the Dodgers,” Hoffman said Thursday, referencing his 2011 appearance with South Troy.
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Hoffman struck out the side Monday night at home against the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. It secured the organization’s third World Series appearance since winning back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. It was Hoffman’s second postseason save this season after recording 33 during the regular season when the Blue Jays won the East Division.
Hoffman, named the 2011 Times Union Large School Player of the Year after helping lead Shaker to the Class A championship and later to the state final, secured the 4-3 victory Monday by striking out Julio Rodriguez on a 3-2 curve.
“The stakes are as high as they have ever been. You are one pitch away from accomplishing one of the goals we set for ourselves,” Hoffman said. “You feel all of that, try to do your best and sort of mute it all out in your head to focus on the task at hand. I felt it all: from spring training Day 1, to the middle of the season when you are grinding and everyone is getting tired, to winning the division. You feel all of it. This was the goal, so there was a ton of emotion.”
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Even though his role as the closer involves adrenaline in pressure-filled situations, Hoffman said his adrenaline level was never higher than on Monday.
“It was insane. You really don’t even have to try to throw anything. It just came out like it was supposed to,” Hoffman said. “It makes it easy not to overthrow. It was definitely the biggest spot I have ever been in. I am glad it worked out the way it was supposed to.”
After celebrating on the mound with his teammates, Hoffman got the chance to be interviewed on field by Fox reporter Tom Verducci.
“It was pretty cool,” Hoffman said. “Obviously, I have been a baseball fan my entire life. You get to watch all those postseason games as a kid, and you get to hear players talk about big moments like that. It was definitely surreal that I was one of the guys they were talking to.”
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Through the two series wins against the New York Yankees and Seattle, Hoffman has worked 7 1/3 innings, struck out 12 and secured each series with a save.
During the regular season, Hoffman faced a few rough patches in which he allowed home runs. However, over the final two months of the regular season and the postseason, Hoffman has been locked in.
“We made some mechanical adjustments that really helped,” Hoffman said. “There were some times later in the year when my fastball didn’t want to come out and perform as well as it normally does. We made some small mechanical tweaks that we targeted. We got that velocity pumped back up at the right time, so we’re proud of the work we put in there.”
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Hoffman’s dedication to his craft began long before he pitched in the majors or even spent three years as a starter at East Carolina. When Hoffman was a junior at Shaker, he went 7-0 and entered that summer with just one college offer — a one-quarter scholarship from the College of Saint Rose. He attended a showcase event with South Troy, where he threw so well and with increased velocity that he had 43 scholarship offers waiting for him on his phone.
Wayne Jones served as Hoffman’s pitching coach at Shaker and with the South Troy Dodgers. Jones, who is now an assistant coach at the University at Albany after previously spending six years as head coach at Saint Rose, enjoys seeing Hoffman succeed.
It would be cool if it were anyone from the Capital Region, but it makes it even better when it is someone you coached,” Jones said. “Honestly, I think he deserves this. Nothing has ever been handed to him. Hard work has outlasted everything else. Jeff’s work ethic has brought him here. He was nearly out of baseball a few years ago, and now he’s closing out the game to help them make the World Series.
After being drafted by the Blue Jays, Hoffman was traded away one year later in a five-player deal with the Colorado Rockies, which sent all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto and helped the Blue Jays win a divisional title. Hoffman made his major league debut in 2016 and finished his time with the Rockies in 2020 after going 10-16 as a starter.
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Hoffman pitched two seasons each in Cincinnati and Philadelphia, where he earned an All-Star selection with the Phillies in 2024 as a reliever. Toronto then signed Hoffman to a three-year, $33 million deal in January.
Even during Hoffman’s midseason struggles, Toronto manager John Schneider did not waver in sending the Shaker graduate out to close games.
“It is satisfying,” Hoffman said. “When they were as interested in me as they were during the offseason during my free agency, it was easy to be here and sign here. This is why they signed me. It feels good to do your job. Obviously, it isn’t done yet. It felt good to come through in that spot (Monday) that they envisioned for me.”
“You want to see him have success,” Jones said. “When you get to that level and that moment, it is career-defining stuff. You don’t want to see him fail, and I was nervous for him. I couldn’t be any happier for him. I have watched him pitch in many big games. It wasn’t even in my thoughts that he would blow it.”
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Naturally, after such a major professional achievement against the Mariners, Hoffman’s phone was buzzing on Monday and Tuesday. He doesn’t take this for granted.
“There were some people I hadn’t talked to in a long time and some people that reached out where I didn’t have their numbers anymore,” Hoffman said. “It was crazy, but I definitely feel all that support, even if I had not been in contact with someone for a long time. People still watching and supporting me is very huge to me. I will never forget that.”
Shenendehowa graduate Ian Anderson was part of the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves, and Shaker graduate Tommy Kahnle, who, like Hoffman, had his No. 23 jersey retired by the school, reached the World Series last year, pitching for the Yankees.
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“We want to do this,” Hoffman said. “The guys in the clubhouse, the core, are pretty much the same as the 2024 team that finished last in the East Division. What I believed in is I have seen these guys do well for such a long time. That season last year did not reflect what I see on paper. I knew they were in the free agent market on a lot of guys and were looking to make their group better. To know that ownership and management were on the same page about where we want to get feels really good, and I’m glad they brought me back.
“I am so lucky to still be doing this. There have been so many good baseball players I have played with who are done playing by now. It is crazy how long it has been and all the steps it has taken along the way, with all the minor league cities and big league cities you have played in. I am happy I have finally found my home here.”
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