The complicated legacy of John Schneider

Melting down

It all started last year in the second game of the Wild Card round against the Mariners, when Schneider panicked and pulled starter Kevin Gausman with an 8-1 lead, then watched the team collapse in an eventual 10-9 loss which eliminated the Jays from the playoffs.

We knew that he was inexperienced, but in his first moment under the bright lights, it could not have gone much worse.

Unfortunately for the Jays, the tendency to melt down periodically has become something of a calling card this year. Here are the most spectacular and viral catastrophes to date:

May 20: “I f***ed up”

We may as well start with the most embarrassing moment of all, not necessarily a bad decision which cost the Jays the game, but a humiliating occurrence which would be among the career lowlights for any manager.

During the sixth inning of a game against the Orioles, Schneider confidently popped out of the dugout and strode to the mound to have a word with his starter Alek Manoah, who, while not cruising, was pitching one of his better games of the season, sitting on 85 pitches.

The only problem was that Schneider forgot that pitching coach Pete Walker had already been to the mound that inning, so Schneider’s visit meant he would have to take Manoah out.

“I f***ed up,” Schneider would say after the game.

Indeed.