ORLANDO, Fla. — It took Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider a while to decompress. The stress and disappointment of a near World Series championship doesn’t fade quickly.

Schneider, speaking with the media on Tuesday for the first time since the World Series, reflected on Toronto’s Game 7 defeat. With the loss still fresh, the manager discussed Isiah-Kiner Falefa’s lead-off third base and the many missed opportunities in the Jays’ final loss.

“I think I’ll think about it until the day I leave this earth,” Schneider said. “You know what I mean? Unless you get another opportunity to kind of squash that one.”

From a World Series finale containing dozens of sliding door moments and massive turning points, no play was more heavily debated than Kiner-Falefa’s lead off third base in the ninth inning of a 5-4 Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The utility infielder, thrown out at the plate, received hate after the game. Players debated the length of his lead on social media, and now-former bench coach Don Mattingly, on a New York Post podcast, called the situation “the one play” they could’ve changed.

IKF’s small lead and a lack of a secondary was the difference for Toronto not winning a title. pic.twitter.com/LobrbNSCJa

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 2, 2025

Naturally, Schneider was asked about Kiner-Falefa’s short lead again at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. He expressed disappointment with the blame directed at Kiner-Falefa after the loss before explaining his perspective on the play.

“Could we have done a better job of getting him off a little bit? Yeah,” Schneider said. “Another step or two.”

While Kiner-Falefa’s primary and secondary leads ranked as some of the shortest of the World Series, it wasn’t an entirely simple play, Schneider explained. The manager, multiple times, admitted that they should’ve placed him a few steps further down the third-base line. But, he explained, the Jays were particularly aware of Dodgers catcher Will Smith’s propensity to attempt back-pick throws to third base with left-handed hitters like Daulton Varsho up. Schneider said the Jays will try to learn and grow from the play.

Ultimately, Kiner-Falefa’s lead was just one of many plays that decided the Blue Jays’ final game. Thinking back on Game 7, Schneider said, causes him to constantly fall down new rabbit holes. From Ernie Clement’s near walk-off to the Dodgers’ two clutch homers and Alejandro Kirk’s series-ending double play, the Jays were just one play away from a title. If any one of those went their direction, they would’ve paraded through the streets of Toronto.

“There’s so many things that get highlighted,” Schneider said. “There’s the play at home. There’s the Pages catch. There’s the home run from Rojas. That’s just Game 7.”

Those many moments are what make the defeat so hard to process. Now, with the offseason well underway, Schneider and the Jays have had to look forward.

“Trying to just focus on that now,” Schneider said. “How we’re getting better in 2026.”