Before striking out the side in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to move the Toronto Blue Jays to their first World Series since 1993, Jeff Hoffman was a tall right-handed pitcher from the Capital Region.
“To see the jubilation, and his reaction on the mound and for his team and his teammates, but if you watch throughout the course of that, the poise that he had in the big moment, right?” said Hoffman’s coach at Shaker High School, Steve Frank. “And I think that’s just the evolution of how he’s been able to perform in a high level.”
Frank was his baseball coach at Shaker High School. Hoffman also played basketball. However, he initially didn’t receive much attention from pro scouts or college recruiters due to his velocity.
“He’s always been a guy that can win,” Frank said. “Like his junior year, he went 6-0 for us, and he probably only threw 82, 83 miles an hour because he knew how to pitch.”
But Hoffman worked to get his velocity into the low 90s, which was enough to earn a scholarship from East Carolina, where he became a highly sought-after pitcher. Despite Hoffman undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Toronto Blue Jays still took him ninth overall in the 2014 MLB Draft.
“What he throws now and what he threw then and the way he’s been able to adapt and adjust and evolve, that’s him wanting to be the best version of himself and the best competitor that he can be,” Frank said.
Hoffman made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in August 2016. He continued to bounce between levels and teams, playing for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies before rejoining the Blue Jays this season. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2024.
“A lot of guys could have said ‘nah, I’ve had some success. I’m going to pack it up. I’m going to spend it with my family, I have other things I could do,’” Frank said. “But he kept persevering because so many guys will throw in the towel. But he knew he was so close to getting to the level that he’s at now.”
The three-year, $33 million contract with Toronto preceded him becoming one of the league’s best relievers this season. Now Hoffman is looking for another signature moment to help the Blue Jays win their first World Series since 1993.
“He just needs an opportunity. And once he’s presented with that, he’s going to take advantage of it,” Frank said. “Just really a great story for not only baseball players, [but] anyone who has to go through certain things to want to achieve the success that he’s been able to do.”
