Ranking 10 World Series what-ifs by how much they'll haunt Blue Jays fans this winter

Losing the World Series is one thing, doing so in the fashion that the Toronto Blue Jays did is another. I've never seen anything like it. The Blue Jays were two outs away from clinching their first World Series title in 32 years, only to let Miguel Rojas of all people tie the game in the ninth and lose it in the 11th. That's right - they lost Game 7 of the World Series in the 11th inning on their home turf, and they had the tying run stranded at third base.

The Dodgers deserve all the credit in the world for fighting back from down 3-2 in the series and from down to their final two outs to win it all, but man, I can't help but think of anything other than what a huge missed opportunity this was for the Blue Jays. I'd like to say they'll be back in this spot sooner rather than later, but you truly never know in this sport.

Had one of several events gone differently, the result could've been entirely different. That's what makes this even more painful for Jays fans. Here's a look at the most heartbreaking moments ranked by how much they're going to haunt Jays fans.

Ranking World Series what ifs

1. Ranking the biggest World Series Game 3 what-ifs
2. Ranking the biggest World Series Game 6 what-ifs
3. Ranking the biggest World Series Game 7 what-ifs

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Ranking the biggest World Series Game 3 what-ifs

With the series tied at a game apiece and Shohei Ohtani looming as the Dodgers' Game 4 starter, Game 3 felt like a must-win for the Blue Jays. Not only did they fall short, but they lost that game in 18 innings. 18 innings! Knowing that the Jays were one win away from winning it all, losing this game hurts even more in hindsight, and leaves us with a couple of major what-ifs.

What if the Blue Jays had intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani more?

This feels like a crazy question to ask since the Jays intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani four times (and unintentionally intentionally walked him later in the game, too), but with the Jays up 5-4 in the seventh inning, John Schneider elected to have Seranthony Dominguez face the best player on the planet. The result was all too predictable, as Ohtani drilled an opposite-field home run.

In Schneider's defense, he tasked Dominguez with pitching around Ohtani, but Dominguez didn't execute. The first pitch he threw was right down the middle, and Ohtani made the Jays pay for facing him. Had the Jays walked him in that spot, perhaps they would've won that game and the series.

What if the Blue Jays had scored in any of their nine extra innings?

Even with the Ohtani blunder, the Jays and Dodgers were tied at 5-5 after seven innings. That remained the case for another 10 innings. I wish I were kidding. The Jays pitched their hearts out, but the bats just couldn't get anything going.

Sure, half the Jays' lineup for extra innings included the bench, but the Jays also faced the worst pitchers the Dodgers had to offer in what was universally recognized as a bad bullpen. I mean, no disrespect to Will Klein, who deserves so much credit for what he was able to do, but in no way should he have thrown four scoreless innings in the World Series. Had the Jays scored a single extra-inning run, the World Series could've ended differently.

Ranking the biggest World Series Game 6 what-ifs

Despite that Game 3 loss, the Jays returned home for Game 6 one win away from capturing that elusive World Series title. It was right at their fingertips. Sure, they were losing 3-1 entering the ninth inning, but an Alejandro Kirk hit-by-pitch and an Addison Barger double with nobody out set the table for the Jays to, at the very least, tie the game. What happened next is unfathomable.

What if Ernie Clement didn't swing at the first pitch?

Ernie Clement, one of the best players throughout Toronto's postseason run, came up small when the Jays needed him most. He swung at a first-pitch 96 mph fastball that was up and in and hit a weak pop-up to Freddie Freeman.

Clement is an extremely aggressive hitter, so it's hard to fault him too much for sticking to who he is, but that pitch wasn't particularly close to being a strike. Clement was facing a starting pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who entered the game in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position. Had he taken a pitch or two, perhaps he could've caught a Glasnow mistake. Unfortunately, we'll never know

What if Addison Barger didn't try to do too much on the base paths?

By far the biggest blunder of that night, though, came from Addison Barger, who, inexplicably, got doubled off at second base to end the game. Andres Gimenez hit what could've been a game-tying single, but Kiké Hernandez and Miguel Rojas teamed up to turn one of the biggest double plays in MLB history to end the game.

I can understand why Barger was trying to be aggressive there - had the ball dropped in front of Hernandez, he wanted to score - but the last thing the Jays could afford was for him to get doubled off. I mean, even had the ball fallen in and Barger had been forced to stay at second base, at least they'd still be alive in that game. Now, all Jays fans can do is wonder what if George Springer had gotten a chance to bat in that ninth inning? He was on deck, after all.

Ranking the biggest World Series Game 7 what-ifs

Somehow, Game 7 was even closer than the final score indicated. Again, the Dodgers deserve immense credit for finding a way to win this game, but the Jays had every possible chance to win it all on Saturday. Had any of these events gone differently, they probably would have been the team celebrating.

What if the Blue Jays didn't give up one of their final three outs?

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the bottom of the 11th with a double, putting the tying run at second base with nobody out. With the Jays having used Isiah Kiner-Falefa to run for Bo Bichette earlier in the game, he was the next man up. Understandably, John Schneider asked the light-hitting infielder to bunt, and he placed a perfect one, allowing Guerrero to advance to third with one out.

I understood a bunt in that spot. The Jays were playing for one run to keep the game going, and having Guerrero at third base with nobody out gave them a golden opportunity to tie the game. It might be easy to ask this in hindsight, but what if the Jays hadn't given up one of their final three outs? Yes, they should've tied it, but it's really hard to give up one of your final three outs when you're losing in extra innings. The Jays saw the risk of doing so play out. IKF could've struck out or failed to advance the runner, but he also could've hit a single or a home run. We'll never know, because he didn't get a chance to swing.

What if the Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning?

The Jays allowed the Dodgers to get within a run in the top of the eighth inning, but had a perfect chance to get that elusive insurance run right back in the bottom half after Ernie Clement hit a lead-off double. Unfortunately, the Jays hit into some brutal luck. Andres Gimenez pulled back a bunt and hit a line drive that I'm not sure how Max Muncy caught for the first out of the inning.

George Springer and Davis Schneider struck out after Gimenez, leaving Clement stranded at second base. The Jays were still ahead, but had no margin for error. As we saw, in the ninth inning, they desperately needed wiggle room.

What if Daulton Varsho could've hit a fly ball in the ninth inning?

Despite blowing the lead in the top of the ninth, the Blue Jays had a golden opportunity to win it all in the bottom half. Three of their first four batters reached, meaning the bases were loaded with one out. The Blue Jays didn't even need a hit from Daulton Varsho - they just needed a fly ball. Varsho, a man responsible for many big hits in this run, was unable to come through when needed in this spot.

Varsho hit a ground ball to second base and Isiah Kiner-Falefa was forced out at home plate. Of course, the Jays did not score here, and lost a couple of innings later. Varsho, a player known for his power, being unable to elevate a pitch in that spot really hurts.

What if Andy Pages didn't make a ridiculous series-saving catch?

Andy Pages played so poorly for the Dodgers in the postseason to the point where he was benched in Games 5, 6 and 7. While his bat was unproductive, the Dodgers still believed in his glove. They believed in it so much that they replaced Tommy Edman in the ninth inning with Pages when the Jays loaded the bases, hoping his glove would send the game to extras. That's exactly what happened.

Pages, the center fielder, ran a country mile to left center field to make a ridiculous catch while colliding with Kiké Hernandez. Had Dave Roberts left Edman, who was playing through an ankle injury, in the game, that ball probably would've fallen in. Had Pages let Hernandez try to catch that ball, it likely would've fallen in. Instead, somehow, he got there, made the catch, and held on. Because of course he did.

What if Isiah Kiner-Falefa took one extra step on his lead?

Varsho deserves blame for his inability to hit a fly ball in the bottom of the ninth, but his ground ball honestly should've won the game anyway. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a player brought in to pinch-run for Bo Bichette, was at third base, standing 90 feet away from home plate with a chance to win the World Series. He was thrown out by the slimmest of margins.

This was the case despite what proved to be a microscopic lead and a non-existent secondary lead. Had Kiner-Falefa taken just one extra step on his lead, he would've scored. Had Kiner-Falefa run through home plate instead of slowing himself up to slide, he probably would've scored. Instead, the pinch-runner ran the bases very poorly.

What if Jeff Hoffman got Miguel Rojas out?

The Jays had so many chances to score runs in the ninth inning or later in Game 7, but what if I told you the game should've been won in the ninth inning? The Jays were just two outs away and had a one-run lead, yet Jeff Hoffman, their closer, served up a game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas of all players.

I mean no disrespect to Rojas when I say this, but before earning a surprise start in Game 6, he had not started a game for the Dodgers since Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. He hit just seven home runs in 317 regular at-bats and hadn't gone deep since September 19. Hoffman let that guy tie Game 7 of the World Series by going deep. I understand that Hoffman could not walk Rojas with Ohtani on deck, so he had to throw a 3-2 strike, but the pitch he threw in that spot really couldn't have been much worse. It was sitting on a tee, and Rojas took advantage. Watching a superstar like Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Mookie Betts beat them would've been one thing, but Rojas, the No. 9 hitter who barely played in the postseason before this moment, hitting that home run in that spot is easily the biggest what-if that Blue Jays fans have to ponder over.

More Toronto Blue Jays news and analysis: