Toronto — Thanksgiving weekend brought the kind of playoff electricity that Toronto lives for. The Rogers Centre was packed, the roof closed, and the air vibrating with belief. But by the end of Sunday night, the noise had died down to a heavy, familiar silence.

The Blue Jays, facing a Seattle Mariners team running on fumes, let Game One slip through their fingers. A hanging splitter from Kevin Gausman, a bullpen call questioned by nearly everyone watching, and an offense that suddenly went ice-cold — all combined to create another frustrating October night for Toronto.

On Harvey’s Hot Takes, Brian Hayes broke it down from field level, pulling no punches about the Jays’ mistakes, the manager’s decisions, and how quickly a golden opportunity vanished.

Gausman’s One Pitch Too Many

“Massive mistake,” Hayes said bluntly. “It’s too bad, because he was rolling up to that point.”

For most of the night, Kevin Gausman looked like the ace Toronto needed him to be. His splitter was diving, his fastball locating, and his composure steady. Until Cal Raleigh came up to the plate.

Raleigh — the Mariners’ slugging catcher nicknamed The Big Dumper — has terrorized pitchers all season, and Gausman was no exception. With two outs and a two-strike count, Gausman decided to challenge him. The pitch hung just long enough for Raleigh to get under it, sending a solo shot screaming into the night.

“That can’t happen,” Hayes said. “Nobody on base, two outs — that’s when you make him chase. You live to see another batter. You can’t make that mistake.”

It was a pitch that changed everything. Gausman, sharp up to that point, was pulled after one more hitter. Raleigh’s home run tied the game, but it did more than that — it shifted the rhythm entirely.

The Bullpen Call Everyone Questioned

What came next left analysts and fans shaking their heads.

With Gausman sitting at just 75 pitches — a number that’s become something of an invisible ceiling for the Blue Jays’ starters — manager John Schneider went to the bullpen, calling for Brendan Little.

Hayes didn’t mince words. “I didn’t like it in the moment, and I don’t like it now. This obsession with pulling starters at 75–80 pitches — it’s becoming a problem.”

Little, who’s struggled with control all season, immediately threw a wild pitch that moved Julio Rodríguez into scoring position. Moments later, the Mariners took the lead.

“This is what frustrates you about modern baseball,” Hayes said. “You’ve got your ace, rolling, veteran presence, postseason experience — and you take the ball out of his hands because of some internal number. It’s not 120 pitches. It’s 75. It’s artificial. Let him pitch.”

Schneider’s postgame explanation — that Gausman had “given them what they needed” — did little to cool the criticism. The decision underscored a pattern Hayes and many fans have noticed: an overly cautious approach that often backfires when October intensity demands trust over metrics.

Missed Opportunities Pile Up

The frustration only deepened when looking at how the game began.

Seattle, starting Bryce Miller — their fifth starter — on short rest, seemed ripe for the taking. The Mariners’ bullpen had been stretched to exhaustion after a 15-inning marathon just two days earlier.

And for one brief moment, it looked like Toronto would take advantage.

On the very first pitch of the game, George Springer crushed a leadoff home run that sent the Rogers Centre into chaos. “The roof almost blew off,” Hayes said. “You could feel the building thinking, ‘Here we go again.’”

But that would be the only run of the night.

From that moment on, Miller settled in and delivered one of the most impressive outings of his career. Short rest, pressure on the road, hostile crowd — none of it mattered. Over six innings, he held the Jays to just two hits.

“Credit to the kid,” Hayes admitted. “He was pitching on fumes, the whole Seattle staff was, but he found another gear. You can’t do anything but tip your cap.”

The Jays, meanwhile, looked nothing like the offensive juggernaut that dismantled the Yankees in the previous round, scoring 34 runs across two games.

Against Seattle, they managed only two hits.

“You can talk about Gausman, the bullpen, whatever,” Hayes said. “But if you get two-hit in October, you’re not winning anything. You’ve got to score.”

Vlad Jr. and the Vanishing Bats

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had been the heartbeat of Toronto’s offense through the ALDS. But on Sunday, he looked mortal.

“0-for-4,” Hayes noted. “Put the ball in play all four times, but he didn’t have it. Nobody did. Vlad’s due for an off night, sure, but this team rides his energy. If he’s quiet, everyone’s quiet.”

Bo Bichette’s absence continues to loom large. Still recovering from a knee injury, his presence at the top of the lineup was missed as the Jays struggled to generate any spark. Without his rhythm and aggressiveness, the lineup felt thin — and Seattle took full advantage.

Schneider Under Fire

For John Schneider, this loss adds another layer to a postseason résumé that’s becoming harder to defend.

He’s now faced repeated scrutiny for early hooks, questionable matchups, and the tendency to manage by formula instead of feel. Hayes pointed out that the trend isn’t isolated — it’s happened before.

“Gausman at 76 pitches in the ALDS. Trey Savage at 78 before getting pulled. Every time they do it, it feels like they’re playing not to lose. That’s not October baseball. You’ve got to trust your guys to work through jams.”

Hayes wasn’t alone in his criticism. Postgame chatter across sports radio and social media echoed the same frustration: that the Jays keep tightening up when the moment demands looseness.

Credit Where It’s Due

Even in his critique, Hayes gave the Mariners their due.

“Seattle deserved this one,” he said. “They were supposed to be cooked. They were out of arms, out of rest, out of gas — and they still showed up. That’s what a resilient team does.”

The Mariners’ dugout, visibly energized after Raleigh’s homer, rode the emotion through the final innings. Their bullpen — patched together with desperation and adrenaline — held firm. And when the final out was recorded, they’d stolen Game One from a team that should’ve buried them early.

“This was supposed to be the Jays’ night,” Hayes said. “Instead, they gave it away.”

Game Two: The Pressure Builds

Thanksgiving Monday now becomes a must-win for Toronto.

Trey Savage takes the mound — a rookie arm with promise but little postseason seasoning. He’ll face a Mariners lineup gaining confidence by the inning, led by Raleigh, who looks unstoppable.

If Savage can deliver a composed start and the Jays’ bats wake up, Toronto can even the series before heading west. But if the same offensive silence continues, they could find themselves facing elimination before the series truly begins.

Hayes didn’t sugarcoat the stakes. “This is it,” he said. “You don’t want to go to Seattle down 0–2. The Mariners’ pitching gets stronger from here. The Jays better wake up.”

For the Blue Jays, Monday isn’t just another playoff game — it’s a test of identity. A team built on swagger and depth now stands one loss away from another October collapse.

The question now isn’t just whether they can win — it’s whether they’ve learned how.