TORONTO -- As George Springer’s swat cleared the wall, Jeff Hoffman ’s course became clear, too.

“I’m in,” he thought to himself. “I’m there.”

One inning later, there he was, on the mound at Rogers Centre for the biggest outs of his life and the biggest outs in a generation for this Blue Jays franchise and the country of Canada.

The 32-year-old Hoffman got those ninth-inning outs in a manner that looked effortless. Leo Rivas swinging. Dominic Canzone swinging. The great Julio Rodríguez swinging. After 17 pitches against the Mariners, it was over, and the Blue Jays’ American League pennant celebration began.

As the Jays head into the World Series against the visiting Dodgers on Friday night, they’ve got their closer pitching the best he has all year. It was a long, strange road that l

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