Blue Jays Clutch Plays: McAdoo's Welcome, Schneider's Return

Welcome back to Blue Jays Clutch Plays, a recurring post that highlights the six most pivotal plays (three pitching, three hitting) from the past week of Blue Jays baseball, according to MLB's win probability model. Click here to read last week's edition.

It was a week in which the Blue Jays hung tough the entire time, but they let too many opportunities slip away against the Phillies and Yankees on their way to consecutive series losses. Leaving runners on base was a constant theme once again, especially on the weekend, and the physical toll the bullpen has undergone here in the first half of the season is catching up to them in a big way. They're now 34-38 and 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot heading into a Fenway-Wrigley road trip.

Pitching

3. Spencer Miles: Max Schuemann Fielder's Choice, Top 6, 6/14 (+10.2% WPA)

Miles continued to give the Jays some extremely valuable bulk relief innings last week. He put himself in a tough spot in the sixth inning on Sunday by issuing a leadoff walk to the lightning-quick Jazz Chisholm Jr., who stole second and advanced to third on a groundout, but then Miles quickly induced a comebacker from Max Schuemann that retired Chisholm after a successful rundown play.

2. Braydon Fisher: Ryan McMahon Flyout, Top 7, 6/12 (+10.3% WPA)

Things got nerve-wracking for Braydon Fisher in the seventh inning of Friday's opener against New York. After an infield hit from José Caballero loaded the bases, #8 hitter Ryan McMahon nearly took him deep to dead center for a go-ahead slam. While this ball was technically barreled up, it was hit to the wrong part of the ballpark, and after what felt like an eternity, it settled harmlessly into the glove of Myles Straw for the final out.

1. Tyler Rogers: Jasson Domínguez Groundout, Top 8, 6/13 (+11.2% WPA)

This week's clutch pitching play is really an emphatic introduction to this column for Charles McAdoo, who dove for this 96-mph grounder off the bat of Jasson Domínguez and speared it beautifully on the backhand to save a run. In fact, if this ball had the legs to make it into the corner, his grab might've even saved two runs. McAdoo learning second base likely got him to the big leagues faster, but on this play, he found himself at one of the corner infield spots that clearly comes naturally to him.

Hitting

3. Davis Schneider: Solo HR, Bot 7, 6/14 (+18.6% WPA)

In his second game since getting called back up, Schneider got a sinker that Jake Bird left too far out over the plate and cranked it all the way over the center field wall to tie the game at three. Davis didn't see any strikes down in Triple-A Buffalo – he hit .188 with a .550 OBP in 14 games – so it's fair to wonder how many chances he actually got to work on his swing. Despite that, at 413 feet, this is the farthest ball he's hit in 2026.

2. Jesús Sánchez: Solo HR, Bot 6, 6/9 (+19.0% WPA)

The Blue Jays were tasked with some of the toughest pitching matchups that a three-game regular season series could possibly offer. After Cristopher Sánchez went seven innings on Monday, it appeared that Zack Wheeler was going to do him one better until Jesús Sánchez brought his hands in and turned on an up-and-in fastball. He knocked it into the visitors' bullpen to tie the game at one, which, with the help of Dylan Cease's brilliant effort on the mound, set the table for a Blue Jays comeback and a walk-off winner.

1. Yohendrick Piñango: Single, Bot 9, 6/9 (+29.0% WPA)

It was Brandon Valenzuela who recorded the game-winning single to seal Jhoan Duran's first blown save of the year on Tuesday night, but the real turning point in the ninth inning came one batter before. Yohendrick Piñango smacked Duran's 1-0 splitter into the ground at a -27° launch angle, but with Philadelphia's infield at double-play depth, it bounced into right field for a base hit and moved Myles Straw, who was already in motion, to third. Daulton Varsho would come in to pinch-run for Straw and score on Valenzuela's liner for the Jays' fourth walk-off win of the year.