TORONTO — There’s a monstrous candle in John Schneider’s office. It arrived in June, the product of a Costco run and the manager’s superstition, filling the room with an odour somewhere between bed sheets and boreal forest. The five, slow-burning wicks lasted many months, as the Blue Jays authored an odds-defying rise to the American League pennant.
When the wax finally ran out, the manager acquired replacements, stuffing them in the same large basin to keep the fire burning. Hours before the Blue Jays became American League champions, the flame flickered.
But these Blue Jays won’t let it die. They can’t. They didn’t on Monday, when with a 4-3 victory in Game 7 over the Seattle Mariners, the Blue Jays kept this special season burning. That’s what connects every Blue Jays player, coach, fan and executive. They don’t want this to end. By winning the third pennant in franchise history, they’ve pushed closer to a title than any other Blue Jays team since last winning it all in 1993. It’s a magical season that many doubted would arrive. It’s taken them to the World Series stage against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With four more wins required, the flame lives on.
“We got studs,” Jays outfielder Myles Straw said. “We got dogs. We got homies. We got good people at their jobs. Good coaches. Good chefs. Good security guards. Good fans. We got a great ballpark. We got it all.”
Max Scherzer and Myles Straw celebrate a pennant. (Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
That’s why Schneider sat down ahead of Monday’s seventh inning. He usually stands in the dugout, but he was willing to try anything to keep the games coming, to move one step closer to glory. Schneider led the Jays to their first division title since 2015. He replaced postseason failures with October wins. He became a candidate for the American League Manager of the Year. It’s been the most fulfilling season, Schneider said, of his baseball life. And so he sat.
The manager holds many superstitions: the shoes he wears to the ballpark, the order he pulls on socks amid win streaks, the Costco candle he won’t discard. But when the Jays are losing — when they need runs — he sits down. Schneider perched next to hitting coach David Popkins in Monday’s seventh inning. The Jays, down 3-1 with their season outs away from ending, badly needed runs. A brewing anxiety filled the closed-dome stadium, with the fans fearing a march to finality.
It’s why Straw pressed against the dugout padding, waving his arms and begging for noise. A year ago, the outfielder considered retirement. In seven big league seasons he’d never been an above-average hitter. He’d never hit more than four homers. The defence that kept him on a roster did so no longer. He played most of 2024 in the minor leagues and arrived in Toronto as, essentially, a salary dump.
But during Toronto’s improbable run, Straw became essential. He was the guy sitting in a Chicago clubhouse in July, leaning over a poorly-built table, screaming amidst a pre-game card game. Players looked up and chuckled. That, Joey Loperfido said, is why the 2025 Blue Jays are special. Straw became the connective tissue between the 22-year-olds and 41-year-olds on Toronto’s diverse roster. Months after a minor-league slog, Straw is the one player, Louis Varland said, you can credit with “everything good about this team.” So, Straw pressed against the dugout padding, and waved.
“He’s the glue,” Varland said. “He’s the paper glue, the wood glue, the sheet rock glue. You name it, it’s Myles Straw.”
Just like the reserve outfielder Straw, Bo Bichette clung to the dugout railing. He has been forced to watch Toronto’s postseason run, stuck in a hoodie instead of a jersey, for almost six weeks. The deep roster he saw form in the early summer months delivered. The playoff success he craved manifested around him. But Bichette, still recovering from a sprained knee, could not contribute. Halfway through the ALCS, Bichette learned a return was near. If the Jays won, he would not walk to free agency without his October shot in Toronto. Bichette needed the fire to linger, so he could join the run.
“I think everybody knew how good we are,” Bichette said. “But, I mean, I’ve never been a part of a run like this.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sought divine intervention. The answer came from George Springer. (Cole Burston / Getty Images)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. couldn’t let Toronto’s season end, either. In the year he became a $500-million franchise face, Guerrero has erased repeated postseason stumbles with a legendary October. He launched blast after blast, forcing opposing managers to stumble through answers about how to contain him. His superstardom, in the biggest games, became undeniable. That’s why Guerrero walked down into Toronto’s dugout tunnel, dropping to his knees to pray ahead of the seventh inning. He sensed, like every anxious fan, the fire running out. Guerrero asked God to bless the Blue Jays.
George Springer delivered a divine blast.
When Springer connected, Schneider sat no longer. Guerrero got up off his knees, Straw stood in stunned awe and Bichette lifted both arms. Everyone raised up — every coach, player and staff in the Blue Jays’ dugout. All 44,770 increasingly tense fans raised their arms and began to bounce. With one swing, Rogers Centre became a rumbling playground of pandemonium. Springer’s three-run homer flipped the contest, ultimately sending the Jays to the World Series and keeping the flame of Toronto’s season alive.
“It’s crazy,” Straw said. “This is like the craziest feeling I’ve ever had.”
Maybe it was Schneider’s superstition that sent Springer’s hit over the wall. Or maybe it was Guerrero’s prayer, Bichette’s desire or Straw’s waving. It could’ve just been Springer, authoring more of the October heroics that define his career. Whatever it was, it ensured that this magical season would burn brightly for at least a few more days.
When Schneider returns to his office, he’ll take out a lighter and ignite the Costco candle once more. The scent of bed sheets and boreal forest will grow. Then the Blue Jays will play in the World Series.