Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman was pitching with some extra emotion during Sunday's 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
The closer, who nearly joined the Orioles in the offseason as a free agent before a deal fell apart due to failed physical assessments, blew a kiss at Baltimore's dugout after closing out the game.
Jeff Hoffman blows as a kiss to the O’s bench pic.twitter.com/OzOeYdXmr4
— Paul Mancano (@PaulMancano) April 13, 2025
"When I'm thinking about the games before the games are being played and stuff, yeah, obviously that's in definitely my head, but once I'm in the game, in the moment, I'm focused on making pitches," Hoffman told reporters, including Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun, postgame.
"If you get started thinking about all that stuff while you're out there, things tend not to go well. So I do my best to stay in the moment and just try to make the next pitch and get my team back in the dugout."
Hoffman held the Orioles scoreless in the ninth inning before coming back out to secure the win in the tenth.
The righty has made an excellent first impression since joining the Blue Jays on a three-year, $33-million contract. He owns a 0.96 ERA and 0.64 WHIP with 13 strikeouts through 9 2/3 innings pitched.
"I did not see (the kiss), but whatever he wants to do, he can do it," Blue Jays outfielder Myles Straw said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. "As long as he keeps pitching like that, he can do whatever he wants."
Hoffman was an All-Star in 2024 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
He and the Blue Jays head home to Toronto to open a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
