TORONTO -- Something changed in José Berríos that night in Minneapolis.

Standing in the corner of the visitors' clubhouse after the Blue Jays lost 2-0 to the Twins in the American League Wild Card Series, the season has just collapsed around Berr¨ªos, ending amid controversy after he¡¯d been yanked just three innings into what could have been the performance of a lifetime. That was his old team. That was his old house. That was supposed to be his moment.

Berr¨ªos inhaled, paused and answered every question, staring a million miles into the distance. There¡¯s trauma in that day. He never wants to feel it again.

¡°That day in Minnesota changed a lot of things about me,¡± Berr¨ªos said. ¡°I was more open [after that]. I spoke. I let them know how I felt and what I wanted and they understood. I¡¯ve shown this with my work ethic every five days out there. It¡¯s not enough to talk, I¡¯ve also shown them. That¡¯s how I want to bring myself here every day now. I¡¯m not just going to talk. I¡¯m going to say it, do it and show [them] the road.¡±

The evolution of Berr¨ªos has been subtle but steady. In Monday¡¯s 9-3 win over the White Sox at Rogers Centre, Berr¨ªos gave the Blue Jays six-plus innings of three-run ball. It wasn¡¯t flashy, but when Danny Jansen drives in five runs and Bo Bichette goes 4-for-4, it¡¯s more than enough. Berr¨ªos has built a career on doing more than enough.

Berr¨ªos has been one of this decade¡¯s safest bets, but his career does not stand on stubbornness. He¡¯s shaped himself around the changing game -- an inch here, an inch there -- creating a character that teammates speak of like a superhero.

¡°La Makina is the machine. He doesn¡¯t stop,¡± said Kevin Gausman. ¡°He¡¯s different than all of us.¡±

That difference always felt physical. It might not pop through your TV screen, but Berr¨ªos belongs in an NFL locker room. He¡¯s a free safety with a curveball.

Teammates don¡¯t see a robot when they look at Berr¨ªos, mindlessly plodding forward, doing hard work for the sake of hard work. Instead, they see this character, ¡°La Makina¡±, a man who works in ways those around him simply can¡¯t. That¡¯s always been the story of Berr¨ªos back to his days with the Twins, but this next evolution is about the person, not the pitcher.

Berr¨ªos demands respect. In both his failures and his successes, he¡¯s earned this.

¡°We¡¯ve had numerous talks last season and this season about him becoming a leader. That shows,¡± said manager John Schneider. ¡°He portrays that on the mound right now ¡­ He¡¯s taken a step forward not just in pitching and executing, but he feels like he¡¯s one of the guys and that shows.¡±

Comfort matters. Berr¨ªos has been here a few years and has a lucrative, long-term contract in his back pocket, but the Twins were his home for a decade. That¡¯s where he became a man. It takes time to feel the ground grow solid underneath your feet, and now that Berr¨ªos feels that, he¡¯s using it.

¡°I want to win. I want to win, but I know I can¡¯t win by myself,¡± Berr¨ªos said. ¡°I need everybody on the same page. I¡¯ve been more vocal and I feel more confident now because I spoke. I let it go.¡±

The evolution of Berr¨ªos has always been incremental, but something feels different about him in 2024. There¡¯s more of an edge to Berr¨ªos on the mound. He¡¯s built a reputation as one of baseball¡¯s good guys, but that same unshakable confidence we saw last October 4 in Minneapolis has only grown.

¡°His voice carries weight,¡± Schneider said, ¡°whether that¡¯s in meetings or just interacting with the guys. It takes time to get to that point. I think he¡¯s at that point. When he talks, people listen.¡±

Berr¨ªos is tied for third in the American League with 60 1/3 innings, setting him up for a shot at 180-plus again this season. His 2.98 ERA puts him on a path to set a new career best, beating the 3.52 mark from the year he was traded to Toronto. That¡¯s all lovely, but it falls within the realm of reasonable outcomes for a pitcher of his talent.

It¡¯s the change Berr¨ªos has felt inside himself that makes this different. He can¡¯t reach back and change that day in Minneapolis, but it changed him, and we¡¯ve never seen a fuller, freer version of Berr¨ªos.