Toronto Blue Jays head back to World Series with an Entire Nation Behind Them

What separates the Toronto Blue Jays from the other MLB teams? Well, besides their home in the remarkable Rogers Centre (originally the Skydome) situated at the base of one of the world’s tallest freestanding structures (the CN Tower), they’re also in one of the world’s most vibrant cities, and then there’s that Jacket! But the Amazing “Barrio” Jacket is not simply a piece of clothing? That sparkling sartorial marvel adorned with the home nations of the players is a symbol of their commitment to a common goal and to a brotherhood that is forged through a shared knowledge of the incredible sacrifice it takes to be the best at what you do.

Well after a 32-year wait, the Jays are back on the road to the championship. Those of us of a certain age can recall the back-to-back championships of 1992 and 1993 which included stalwarts like Roberto Alomar, John Olerud, Devon White, Paul Molitor, Tom Henke, Dave Winfield, Juan Guzmán, and Joe Carter coached by the first African American to win a championship, Clarence Edwin “Cito” Gaston. So how did we get here, again? With their 4 to 3 at home win on October 20^th, 2025, and manager John Schneider at the helm, the Jays defeated the resilient Seattle Mariners in a tense game seven of the ALCS.

The Jays did not take the easy path. By clinching the regular season division on September 28^th, they forced a wild card showdown between the third place Red Sox and the second place Yankees, which the Yankee won. The Jays then produced a resounding win over the Bronx Bombers after their 5-day rest. This was no Flook, no skin of the teeth victory. The Jays handled the Yankees in four games in the five games series to the tune of a game one 9 to 2 victory, a game two 14 to 5 beat down, and a game four 5 to 2 win in the Bronx on October 8th.

Yes friends, the Blue Jays had to go through the Bronx Bombers including Aaron Judge, Gerritt Cole, Carlos Stanton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. to set up their meeting with the Seattle Mariners who first had to contend with the Detroit Tigers. On October 8^th, after winning the series against the storied Yankees franchise, Vladdy and David Ortiz (the legendary Red Sox player affectionately known as Big Papi) could not resist having a little fun at the expensive of former Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. During a post-game interview on a Fox Sports panel when asked by Jeter how much he enjoys playing the Yankees on a personal level, a beer-soaked Vladdy responded from the Jays locker room that he enjoyed playing them “but to me it’s nothing personal,” after which he enticed Big Papi to join him in singing, repeatedly and hilariously, “Daaaa, Yankees lose!” as A-Rod and Jeter smiled and shook their heads.

But the Jays did not take the easy path against Seattle. Instead of seizing the upper hand from the start, they lost the first two games at home 3 to 1 and 10 to 3 respectively. (A comeback of this magnitude has only been done twice before in the ALCS, by the Kansas City Royal in 1985 and the Boston Red Sox from a 3-0 deficit in 2004.) But our team is nothing if not resilient and you can only quiet their bats for so long. On October 15^th, Vladdy and the team came roaring back in game three, Vladdy with 4 for 4 at bat, and Andrés Giménez, Daulton Varsho, Danny Jansen, Addison Barger, and George Springer all contributing to a 13 to 4 result at T-Mobile Park. Jays pitching has been incredible with stellar contributions from veteran, mid-career, and youthful starters like the quiet and unassuming, (you’re not taking me out of the #@!&*^%#!* game) 41-year-old Max Scherzer (game 4), 30-year-old Shane Bieber (game 7), and 22-year-old Trey YeSavage (game 6).

The Jays then clinched game four, 8 to 2 with Vladdy, Giménez, and Springer providing batting highlights. But the series had no shortage of drama with the Jays dropping game five in Seattle to the tune of 6 to 2 largely due to a Cal Raleigh grand slam. So, it was back home to the Rogers Centre where the Jays were tasked with winning games six and seven to extend their season and a shot at the championship. The Jays then went on to defeat the Mariners 6 to 2 and 4 to 3 in the last two games of the series.

Game seven was a nail-biter with the Jays down 3 to 1 in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, George Springer stepped up to bat. Now 36-years-old, Springer started his MLB career with the Houston Astros in 2011 and won a championship with that ball club in 2017. The veteran right fielder, now designated hitter, was the right man for the job, sending a home run screeching into left-centre field and driving in Addison Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to pull the Jays ahead by one run. That’s all it took!

George Springer celebrates as he runs the bases after his home run in Game Seven

We should mention that Springer was playing injured after Seattle pitcher Bryan Woo beamed a 95.6 mph sinker off his right knee in game five. (To put the pain and potential for damage into perspective, Woo’s pitch came off Springer’s knee at 55 mph!) But although Springer left that game to get medical attention he was right back in the thick of things in the next. But the strain and injury were obvious in subsequent games with Springer’s right knee buckling under him on serval occasions after big swings. The Jays are now the American League Champions and Vladdy is deservedly the American League Championship Series MVP.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. accepting ALCS MVP trophy

But we want it all! So, buckle up Canada, the World Series starts on Friday, October 24^th with the first two games in Toronto where the Jays play host to the LA Dodgers, MLB champions in 2024 (against the Yankees) and 2020 (against the Tampa Bay Rays). The Dodgers have pitching depth with stars like Black Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Shohei Ohtani and batting depth with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, oh, and Shohei Ohtani, again! But the Jays bullpen runs deep, and boy, can we hit. What’s more, the Jays have heart and an entire nation behind them. So, let the games begin!

2025 World Series Schedule:

Friday, October 24^th (Rogers Centre, Toronto)

Saturday, October 25^th (Rogers Centre, Toronto)

Monday, October 27^th (Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles)

Tuesday, October 28^th (Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles)

Wednesday October 29^th (Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles)

Friday, October 31^st (Rogers Centre, Toronto)

Saturday, November 1^st (Rogers Centre, Toronto)