The Blue Jays were so close to winning their first World Series title since 1993 on Saturday night but then the Dodgers tied Game 7 in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run by Miguel Rojas and won it in the 11th inning after a home run by Will Smith and some more clutch pitching by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

It was a devastating loss for the everyone involved with the franchise and all of the fans at Rogers Centre who were so close to having one heck of a celebration, only to see it all fall away in stunning fashion.

It must have been especially rough for Don Mattingly, who finally made it to the World Series for the first time in his legendary career. The former Yankees great has served as the Blue Jays bench coach since 2022 and he was just three outs away from earning a championship ring, only to have it ripped away from a franchise he once managed.

Moments after the final out Mattingly was seen having a heartbreaking moment as he sat in the Toronto dugout and watched the Dodgers celebrate their second straight title. Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who had a huge three-run homer in Game 7, was seen giving Mattingly a hug before the two headed to the clubhouse.

Here's that sad exchange:

Brutal.

Mattingly never made it to the World Series as a player and fell just short a few times during his stint as the manager of the Dodgers. It would have been pretty cool to see him celebrate finally earning a ring but that sadly didn't happen as the Blue Jays lost both Game 6 and 7 at home to the Dodgers.

Fans had some emotional reactions to that moment between Mattingly and Bichette.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Don Mattingly Seen Sharing Heartbreaking Moment With Blue Jays Star After Game 7 Loss.