John Schneider did not hold back when asked to differentiate the challenge of facing Shohei Ohtani, especially after his team had just eliminated dangerous hitters like Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge. For the manager, the Japanese star is a completely different kind of threat, and he sent a warning to the Blue Jays.
Heading into the World Series, Schneider offered an assessment of the challenge posed by Ohtani after recently facing sluggers like Judge and Raleigh. Schneider stated, “I think we’re talking about a totally different kind of animal here,” emphasizing that Ohtani presents a unique and unprecedented threat to the Blue Jays.
Despite admitting the danger of playing against Ohtani, Schneider was clear that his players are capable of winning against anyone, declaring, “I’ll put this group of 26 up against anybody.” The manager made the statement during a recent press conference where he also revealed that Bo Bichette is improving.
Schneider confident in defeating Dodgers
Schneider stressed the importance of viewing the Dodgers as a fallible opponent. He cautioned his team, declaring, “The one thing we cannot do is look over there and say ‘That is Goliath.’ That is a beatable baseball team that has its flaws and also its really, really good strengths.” He emphasized that the focus must remain on exploiting those weaknesses.
It is worth remembering that the Blue Jays and Dodgers have never before faced each other in the World Series. This matchup will be particularly special for Schneider and his players, as they face the defending champions—the team that easily handled Aaron Judge and the Yankees last year.
While the Blue Jays do have a World Series ring, they won it back in 1993 against the Phillies in six games. They had to wait to return to the World Series since, marking a 32-year drought without the experience of playing for a title, whereas the Dodgers have significantly more championship history.
