Inside the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse: 'The culture is unbelievable'
Photo credit: https://www.espn.com
If you predicted that the Toronto Blue Jays would be leading the American League East going into the All-Star break you were the only one.
As the Blue Jays rattled off victories and soared to the top of its division, everything went right.
Players from Triple A notched game-saving hits the very same night they were promoted. Rookie relievers locked down games in extra innings.
The group outplayed its expected record by five wins.
When asked to explain the transformation, the players point to each other.
The difference between the failures of Toronto's turbulent 2024 season and the successes thus far of a reinvigorating 2025 campaign, they say, lies in the culture.
«Since I've been here, this is one of the best years that I've been in the clubhouse,» Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. «Once I wake up, I just can't wait to get to the field to be with my teammates. It's been unbelievable. It's what any manager would want, a team like that, a culture like that.»
The change manifests in the dugout, which is typically buzzing during close games.
The Jays point to a fresh commitment to base running, improved communication, hitters accepting more specific roles and pitchers empowered to adjust, even if it means bucking industry norms.
Now, they begin the second half of a season filled with promise after completing the organization's best first half since 1992, the year Toronto won the first of two straight World Series titles.
«Sometimes, you got to go through some s**t to really basically get exposed and fix issues,» veteran righty Chris Bassitt said. «I feel like last year, I never want to go through it again. It exposed a lot of things, and I never want to go through it again.»
The Blue Jays didn't get faster this season, but they nevertheless got better at base running.
«For lack of a better term, s**t runs downhill,» Schneider said. «So I hear it, I say to the staff, we go to the players. Then players are going to players, and they hold each other accountable.»
The Jays' dugout sounds like a space occupied by a team on pace for 93 wins. Batters nestle beside the hitting staff, and off-day pitchers listen in on pitching plans between innings.
«I wish more people could kind of hear what it's like in our dugout,» Schneider said. «From a variety of people. Whether it's the starting pitcher, pitchers that aren't pitching or guys that aren't starting. It's a pretty cool atmosphere right now.»
Whatever the reason, winning perpetuates winning, even when the possibility seems remote.
The Blue Jays' first-half surge was powered in part by their 27 comeback victories.
«It's easy to buy in when there's so many people around you that are bought in,» rookie reliever Braydon Fisher said. «It's also easy to buy in when you're winning. And it's easy to buy in when we're playing electric baseball games.»
This year, the Jays entered the break with excitement. It wasn't a four-day reprieve from a dismal season, but a needed break before a second-half battle for first place.
After reshaping priorities in offseason texts and phone calls, it's where they hoped to be. Now, the Blue Jays hope to stay there.
«I'm just happy that everyone has bought in,» Bassitt said. «But now it's just continuing. Obviously, we have a lot of games left. We're probably going to go through stretches that are not that great for four or five games in a row. But don't change that thought process. This thought process is why we're really good right now.»
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 17 | 191 ANSWERS Inside the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse: 'The culture is unbelievable' Do you believe the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse culture is a large contributor to their success in 2025? | ||
| Yes | 172 | 90.1 % |
| No | 10 | 5.2 % |
| Too early to tell | 9 | 4.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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