Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner

Guests: Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer and reliever Joe Mantiply, Dodgers 1B coach Chris Woodward

This week in Deep Left Field, we go over what was nearly a winless Week That Was for your Toronto Blue Jays, with two key players hitting the injured list and another set for regular-season- ending knee surgery.

It was a rough week both on and off the field for the Jays, many of whom have been struggling with a bug that's tearing through the clubhouse. Eric Lauer believes he may have been Patient Zero for what he calls the "Flu Jays," and he joins us to talk about the team's rough start as they suffer through illness and injury.

We meet the new guy, 35-year-old Joe Mantiply, who is here to help stabilize the bullpen with Brendon Little having been shipped out to Buffalo.

Former Jay Chris Woodward, now first-base coach of the L.A. Dodgers, stops by to talk about winning the World Series at his former home and to reminisce about the early-2000s Jays teams he was a part of.

All that plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

For a few fleeting hours on Nov. 1, 2025, Toronto felt like it might be 1993 all over again.

And though the Blue Jays didn't win the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, some people ask if that winner-take-all Game 7 might have been the greatest baseball game ever played. That's probably a hard idea to stomach if you're a Blue Jays fan, but the advanced statistics might support it.

MLB analysts have discussed it, online community groups have debated it, and according to the numbers, Championship Win Probability Added (cWPA) changed win probability more times than in any other game in history.

The only thing that game was missing was a walk-off win. Had that happened you can all but guarantee more Canadians would have supported the idea of it being the greatest baseball game in history since it would have meant their team came out on top.

Toronto Star baseball columnists Mike Wilner and Gregor Chisholm break down some of the plays and analytics within what is undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the greatest baseball games — and World Series — ever played.

Editor's note: You can watch this as a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJyTXYJwivQ

Guests: Blue Jays pitchers Max Scherzer and Spencer Miles, Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke

This week in Deep Left Field, we go over the Blue Jays' week that was, which featured a sweep of the Athletics and an ugly series loss to the sad-sack Colorado Rockies, with a special emphasis on Cody Ponce's catastrophic knee injury and what that means for the rotation.

Then we hear from two Jays pitchers at the absolute opposite ends of the spectrum. Max Scherzer is starting his 19th season in the big leagues and is ticketed for immortality in Cooperstown when he's done. Spencer Miles is a rookie, selected in the Rule 5 draft, who still hasn't hit the 25-inning mark as a professional. Incredibly, the two hurlers are linked by a Missouri snowstorm. They both tell us that story.

Also, Pickering's own Denzel Clarke made an opening day roster for the first time in his career, after playing for Canada at the World Baseball Classic for the second time. We catch up with the centre field magician as we look out at the stands where he saw his first big-league game.

All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Toronto Star columnists Gregor Chisholm and Mike Wilner gathered on the field of the Rogers Centre during batting practice, to discuss the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays and what might be in store during the 50th season of Toronto Blue Jays baseball.

Guest: Blue Jays opening day starter Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman is going to meet the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of his first opening day start as a Blue Jay, but you'll get to hear from him first here in Deep Left Field!

In an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation, the 35-year-old discusses rebounding from the shortest off-season he's ever had after throwing more pitches than anyone else in the major leagues last year. He also talks about the impact Toronto has made on him over the course of the five-year contract that ends this season, his new teammates, the honour of pitching on opening day and more.

We also look at the Jays' season-opening roster, officialized Wednesday, discuss club president Mark Shapiro's media availability and open up the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays outfielders Addison Barger and George Springer

Today's episode of Deep Left Field DAILY features a couple of Blue Jays sluggers who had unexpectedly great seasons and made massive contributions toward the Jays winning the American League East and getting to within inches of a World Series championship last fall.

George Springer came off the worst year of his career to lead the Jays with 32 home runs and finish third in the majors in OPS - behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. In the post-season, his go-ahead three-run home run in Game 7 of the American League championship series propelled the Jays into the Fall Classic and stands as one of the biggest round-trippers in Jays history.

Addison Barger didn't even make the team out of spring training last year, but wound up hitting 21 home runs, third on the Jays behind Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In his first career post-season, he belted the only pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history and hit .480 over the seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Springer and Barger join us to talk about that magical playoff run and to look ahead to the new season that begins Friday night.

All that, plus your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Blue Jays manager John Schneider

Deep Left Field is going DAILY for the lead-up to Blue Jays' opening day on Friday, and we kick off the week with an in-depth conversation with John Schneider, who just signed a two-year extension that will keep him as Blue Jays manager through the 2028 season.

Schneider, who is about to begin his fourth full season as Jays' skipper and his 25th as a member of the organization, joins us to talk about how dreams of Game 7 of the World Series interrupted his sleep during the winter, how he remembers the playoff run, how he has grown as a manager and much more.

In the wide-ranging conversation, we touch on the post-season brilliance of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage, among others, the departure of Bo Bichette, how Schneider thinks the Jays can improve on what they did last year among many other things.

The mailbag is always open at [email protected] - make sure to have your voice heard during this busy week of daily podcasts!