Blue Jays’ Jeff Hoffman on Philly: ‘It feels like this is still home’
PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Hoffman settled into the visitors’ dugout at Citizens Bank Park on Friday afternoon, ready to address reporters and talk about Philadelphia. The reliever had an off day on Thursday to explore the city, get dinner with former teammates and reflect on his two seasons with the Phillies before coming back to the ballpark for the first time since last year.
And even though he’s swapped his red pinstripes for Blue Jays blue, Hoffman wasn’t shy about what Philly means to him.
“It feels like this is still home,” Hoffman said.
A failed starter with the Rockies and Reds earlier in his career, Hoffman put it together out of the bullpen with the Phillies in 2023 and 2024, emerging as one of the better relievers in the major leagues and changing the course of his career. He went from a minor leaguer throwing batting practice to a recovering Bryce Harper to an All-Star the next season. Hoffman emerged as the go-to guy in high leverage for manager Rob Thomson, and the Phillies miss having that kind of arm around right now.
Hoffman signed with Toronto this offseason and has had some highs and lows so far in 2025. He has a 5.70 ERA in 31 games with 17 saves. Since facing the Phillies at Rogers Centre last week, he’s coming into this three-game series in Philadelphia with four saves in his last four appearances with two runs allowed.
The right-hander said he expects that he might get booed whenever he gets into one of these games, and that’s OK with him if it happens. He connected with the fans when he was here and knows what they’re about. But because of that, the home crowd will likely give Hoffman a warm reaction. He knows he’ll probably get emotional.
“It’s hard not to be with the type of energy and everything the fanbase brings in this place,” Hoffman said. “I’ll do my best to keep them in check, but no promises.”
Hoffman and the Phillies had a lot of success in his two years as he complemented a star-studded roster that earned two postseason appearances and won the National League East in 2024. But the team didn’t live up to its World Series hopes in either chance. Hoffman allowed an inherited runner to score in a pivotal spot in Philadelphia’s Game 7 loss in the 2023 NL Championship Series and gave up six runs in three playoff outings last October.
Regardless, Hoffman has fond memories of his time with the Phillies, his performance on the mound and the people he encountered. His visit this weekend should serve as a nice celebration of his tenure.
“To be a part of something like that is awesome,” Hoffman said. “We didn’t accomplish the goal that we wanted to accomplish while I was here, but, every night, you feel how much it means to the whole city. So I think that probably played a big part in how I pitched.”