Reader here, and, well, it wasn’t the ending we were all hoping for, but man… what a ride!
I gathered with a bunch of baseball fans at a local restaurant on Saturday night, to cheer on the Toronto Blue Jays, as they looked to end a 32-year championship drought.
By the time I got there, Bo Bichette had already put the Jays up 3-0 with his three-run homer in the third inning, and the crowd was feeling pretty good.
Both teams were getting on base, but the runs weren’t coming fast and furious.
The Dodgers got one back in the 4th to make it 3-1, then both teams added another run in the 6th.
After turning a 3-6-3 double play to end the 7th, the Jays held a 4-2 lead, going into the top of the 8th.
Cue the comeback…
In the top of the 8th, Max Muncy hit a solo shot to draw the Dodgers within one.
Then, in the top of the 9th, with the Jays two outs away from a title, Miguel Rojas took Jays closer Jeff Hoffman deep to tie the game 4-4.
Toronto couldn’t score in the bottom of the 9th, despite having the bases loaded, and once again, extra innings were needed.
With two gone in the top of the 11th, L.A. catcher Will Smith’s solo shot gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.
Toronto had runners on the corners in the bottom of the 11th with one out, but catcher Alejandro Kirk grounded into a game and series-ending double play, and the Dodgers’ celebration was on, while the Jays (and their fans across the country) had no choice but to settle for heartbreak.
We can lament the missed opportunities, whether it was close plays at the plate, lodged balls, or bad pitches turned into game changing homers, but ultimately, the Dodgers got it done, and you have to give them credit.
But in the end, how can you not be anything but proud of the Toronto Blue Jays, and what the achieved in 2025?
After finishing dead last in the American League East just one year ago, and getting off to a bit of a bumpy start this year, the Bluebirds righted the ship, and won the division, finishing with the best record in the A.L. at 94-68 (tied with the Yankees, but holding the tiebreaker)
Then, after dispatching the Bronx Bombers in four games in the A.L. Divisional Series, the Jays dropped the first two games of the A.L. Championship Series at home, before roaring back to beat Seattle in seven games, with George Springer’s big blast in the 7th lifting the Jays into the Fall Classic.
That set up the showdown with the Dodgers, and no one south of the 49th parallel gave Toronto a chance, treating the Jays like lambs being led to the slaughter.
Not so fast… The Jays stunned the pundits (and, I think, the Dodgers themselves) by taking Game One, and proceeded, throughout the course of the seven game series, to earn the respect of the baseball world, by being a sound, close-knit team team that stuck together through the highs and lows.
This playoff run was awesome.
From the “Springer Dinger” that sent the Jays to the World Series, to the rise of rookie Trey Yesavage, who started the year pitching in ‘A’ ball, only to rise through the ranks, set a single-game rookie record for strikeouts.
From Ernie Clement’s record-setting offensive display, to Vladimir Guerrero Junior’s emergence as a true Major League superstar.
From Max Scherzer’s intensity (“Let’s go!!!”) on the mound to Bo Bichette’s return in the World Series, and the valuable contributions from players up and down the lineup, like Addison Barger, who crushed the first-ever pinch hit grand slam in World Series history.
Not to mention Jay’s manager John Schneider’s emotional reaction to wining the ALCS, and seeing the legendary Don Mattingly take part in his first World Series.
But the one overall thing about the 2025 Jays, is that they were a true TEAM in every sense of the word. You could see how much this run meant to them, and how excited they were to be playing for each other, their city, and Canada.
And about that. How about the way the Jays amazing run brought the nation together in a way we haven’t seen in a long time. The closest thing may have been the Raptors’ run to the NBA title in 2019.
When it comes to the CFL or the NHL, there’s no one team that unites everyone. Regional rivalries always get in the way. There weren’t a lot of Flames fans cheering for the Oilers in the past two Stanley Cup Finals. And if the Riders get back to the Grey Cup, coincidentally being held in Winnipeg this year, there won’t be a ton of Blue Bomber fans rooting for the Green and White to bring the Grey Cup back to the west.
But everyone was rooting for the Blue Jays!
The big question now… can they sustain this success, and get over the hump? Vladdy Jr. is locked into that massive half-billion-dollar contract, but with they re-sign Bo Bichette, who is a free agent? Change is inevitable in sports, and there’ll be players coming and going. But what a place to build from heading into 2026.
When I was a younger fan, in the 80s and 90s, I followed the Blue Jays a lot more closely than I have over the past couple of decades, but for me (and I think a lot of other people), this magical run has reignited that love for Canada’s only Major League team, who made their debut in 1977, just like me!
Now and always, we #WANTITALL… and I don’t think anyone can wait until spring training, when we can fire up this classic once again…
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