Blue Jays castoff emerges as Rays’ postseason hero in sweep of Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays fans can be forgiven if Bryan Baker’s name does not immediately ring a bell. His Toronto career lasted exactly one scoreless inning.

Five years later, the former Blue Jay has become one of October’s biggest stories. American League Division Series without allowing a hit, becoming the first pitcher to accomplish the feat since saves became official in 1969.

The 31-year-old faced 10 batters in the series, struck out four and allowed only one to reach base on a walk. Two of his saves protected one-run leads, including the clincher at Yankee Stadium that sent Tampa Bay to the ALCS. 

Baker made his major-league debut for Toronto on Sept. 5, 2021, at age 26 and worked a scoreless inning. It was his only appearance in a Blue Jays uniform. Toronto placed him on waivers after the season, and the Baltimore Orioles claimed him.

That roster move didn't sit well with Baker and he when the two teams met in Baltimore in September of 2022. Baker exchanged words with Teoscar Hernández, struck out Matt Chapman to finish the inning and gestured toward Toronto’s dugout. Both benches and bullpens emptied, and then-Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said his players were fed up with Baker looking into their dugout when he faced his former club.

"Like I said, I was part of that organization, I know some of those guys," Baker told reporters after Baltimore's 9-6 win. "No problems with them. Didn't hear anything negative at all. Just, uh, just a personal problem that I probably should have handled a different way but it just kind of came out."

“Just a disagreement, just something that got taken too far. It probably shouldn’t have come to that. It was just a disagreement with Teoscar who I’ve played with before. It just went a little bit too far," Baker said.

Baker has now turned a forgettable Blue Jays cameo into a productive career that has reached another level with the Rays.

From waiver claim to dominant closer, Bryan Baker broke out in 2026

Baker was solid but inconsistent through his years in Baltimore. After the Orioles traded him to Tampa Bay during the 2025 season, he finished the year with a 4.06 ERA, three saves and 19 holds across 73 appearances between the two clubs.

Baker then kicked it into high gear this past season. He posted a 1.44 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with a major-league-leading 41 saves in 65 games. He converted a franchise-record 29 consecutive save opportunities and earned his first All-Star selection.

The Rays helped him unlock what has become an almost unhittable combination. Baker averaged 96.3 mph with his four-seam fastball. He was then able to work in a changeup that became very difficult for the opposition to pick up. He threw it 44% of the time, and it produced a run value of plus-6.

Baker’s emergence has also created an interesting subplot that Blue Jays fans could debate over the next few weeks. Toronto closer Louis Varland remains a leading candidate for American League Reliever of the Year after recording a 1.27 ERA, 35 saves and 97 strikeouts in 78 innings.

Baker, however, owns the edge in the "traditional" closer stats. His 41 saves led the majors, his 1.44 ERA trailed Varland’s only slightly and his ninth-inning consistency helped the Rays finish with the best record in the American League. The award is based on the regular season, so Baker’s historic ALDS cannot improve his ballot, but it has put a national spotlight on just how remarkable his year was.

Varland may still have the stronger all-around résumé, but Baker is no longer an afterthought in the debate. The pitcher Toronto exposed to waivers after one appearance has become an All-Star closer, a legitimate awards challenger and the author of a postseason performance to remember.

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