Blue Jays' manager John Schneider receives incredible letter from Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr
Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider received an incredible letter from Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr upon his return to Rogers Centre this week.
When Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider returned to his office at Rogers Centre last week, he noticed something unexpected waiting for him, a single envelope resting on his desk.
It looked as though it had been sitting there untouched for months.
Inside was a handwritten letter from Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and a nine-time NBA champion.
The two had never met.
The letter was dated November 2, 2025 — just one day after Toronto’s heartbreaking Game 7 loss.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, Schneider said he opened it, and was immediately surprised to see the Warriors logo at the top.
“As I read it,” Schneider told Bannon, “I was like, ‘holy s—.’”
In the letter, Kerr explained why he felt compelled to reach out.
“I don’t know you,” Kerr wrote, “but I felt compelled to reach out after watching your incredible leadership on display during the World Series.”
As Schneider continued reading, he was transported back to those tense final innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kerr’s message captured the emotional weight of that loss, comparing it to his own team’s crushing defeat in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Warriors fell to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“The pain was real,” Kerr wrote. “But what endures through difficult losses is the character and connection within the group. The loss won’t define you, but the way you and your players carried yourselves afterward will.”
For Schneider, those words reinforced emotions he had been processing throughout the offseason.
After being promoted to Blue Jays manager in 2022, taking over from Charlie Montoyo midseason, Schneider immersed himself in learning everything he could about leadership wrote Bannon.
Schneider listened to podcasts, read extensively, and studied successful coaches across sports. Kerr, he said, was one of the figures he admired most.
“To have him watch me,” Schneider said, “and see how I handled the pressure, the decisions, and the media — to get that kind of approval — it was pretty special.”
Schneider added that he has drawn inspiration from respected figures around the game, including Kevin Cash and Terry Francona, as well as coaches like Kerr. What sets them apart, he noted, is the respect they command, something that defines true leadership.
Receiving a message from someone of that stature made the moment all the more meaningful.
According to Bannon, in the coming days, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is expected to help connect Schneider with Kerr so he can personally thank him.
Whether or not Kerr happens to be a Dodgers fan seems beside the point.
The letter may have sat unopened on Schneider’s desk all winter, but its timing couldn’t have been better. It offered both reflection and reassurance, and a timely reminder of what lies ahead for the Blue Jays.
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