Baseball fans, rejoice — the World Series is here, and the Toronto Blue Jays are front and centre on the sport’s biggest stage for the first time in over three decades.
The Jays are facing off against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre starting at 8 p.m. ET Friday.
While 1993 is a lot more recent than 1967, it’s still a long time ago for a whole generation of Torontonians who never got to witness the Blue Jays’ back-to-back championships, the franchise’s only two World Series appearances.
“I’m pretty nervous. I’ve never [seen] the Jays get anywhere near here in my life,” a High Park Little Leaguer named Tobin told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning outside Rogers Centre Friday. His teammate, Gia, said seeing them in the World Series feels like a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Heck, even for people who were around for their last championship, like Raja Oosiar, the wait has been excruciating.
“I think I was three years old the last time they went to the Series, my dad carrying me on his shoulders down these halls,” Oosiar said at Rogers Centre after Monday’s pennant-clinching win against Seattle. “So seeing it as a [grown] man is pretty special.”
With so many years of anticipation, expect the dome and the rest of the city to be rocking at first pitch.
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Dodgers looking to repeat as champs
Los Angeles, in stark contrast, has seen plenty of World Series action in the past decade.
The Dodgers are playing in their fifth Fall Classic in nine seasons, and will be gunning for their own repeat after easily dispatching the New York Yankees in five games last year to become the undisputed kings — or, to most baseball fans, evil emperors — of the big leagues.
Led by multi-talented, cannot-be-overhyped phenom Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers have an almost God-like batting lineup and starting rotation.
The National League champs have lost only one game in three series this post-season, most recently making this season’s winningest team, the Milwaukee Brewers, look like a speed bump on their flat, paved road to the World Series.
(Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press)
But the Blue Jays didn’t get here by luck.
Their bats have been on fire this October, and they won one more game than LA during the regular season. That gives Toronto home-field advantage for the series’ first two games, as well as Games 6 and 7, if necessary. Against a juggernaut like the Dodgers, that small edge could be massive.
Bichette returns, Jays manager confident
So the Dodgers (with a payroll nearly $100 million higher than Toronto’s) are a formidable opponent, but Blue Jays manager John Schneider hasn’t appeared intimidated this week, saying his club has what it takes to win.
“I got all the confidence in the world with my guys,” he said at a media availability Thursday. “I’ll put this group of 26 up against anybody.”
Schneider said the Dodgers are “a beatable baseball team.”
Toronto’s players are gearing up for a battle. George Springer, whose Game 7 blast earlier this week helped catapult the Jays into the World Series, said he hasn’t really had time to reflect on his game-winning home run.
“There’s still a job to be done and there’s still a very good baseball team on the other side of the line over there,” he told CBC News on Thursday.
The Blue Jays will have help from Bo Bichette for the first time this post-season. The star shortstop, who has been out with a sprained knee since Sept. 6, was placed on the team’s official World Series roster Friday. Bichette led the team in hits this year, but where he’ll fit into the lineup is still a question.
Bo Bichette, seen here fielding ground balls in practice Thursday, will be back on the Blue Jays roster for the World Series, the team officially announced Friday. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)
First baseman and late-season addition Ty France has also been added to the roster after an injury, meaning the Jays will carry 12 pitchers (the maximum is 13) and 14 position players for the series. Outfielder Joey Loperfido and pitcher Yariel Rodriguez have been removed from the roster to make room.
Trey Yesavage, 22, who started his professional career this spring and was only called up to the majors last month, will start Game 1 for Toronto. He’ll face left-hander Blake Snell, one of only seven pitchers ever to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues (Jays veteran Max Scherzer is also on that list).
U.K. fan brings special good luck charm
It’s a big moment for Toronto baseball fans. They flooded the streets near Rogers Centre after the team beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 to win the ALCS and qualify for the World Series on Monday night.
“We’re back, baby!” screamed Leo Bursui after watching Game 7 of the ALCS at a bar downtown.
(Jes Mason/CBC)
The excitement extended to Jays fans well outside the city too, including Karla Courtney, who flew in from the U.K. for the series, bringing a special good luck charm with her.
Originally from Toronto, Courtney said she started knitting a Jays sweater during playoff games while watching late at night overseas.
“I just wanted something to keep occupying [me], calm my nerves,” she told CBC News outside the Rogers Centre Friday.
The sweater could be extra lucky Friday. By happenstance, she said, she ran into Jays manager John Schneider outside the building ahead of Game 1, and she had a special request.
Karla Courtney says she happened upon Jays manager John Schneider outside Rogers Centre Friday while he was on his way in ahead of Game 1. She says he kissed the sweater for good luck. (Submitted by Karla Courtney)
“All I said was, ‘Hi, can you kiss my sweater?'” Courtney said. “And he was super normal about it … and he just kissed it.”
Courtney is still knitting the sweater, saying she only knits on game days, but she thinks that will give her time to finish her project.
“I’m going to finish this sweater because they’re going to go all the way.”
Mayors make friendly bet, PM left hanging
Politicians are getting in on the excitement too.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Friday she has a World Series bet with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, whom she says is also a cyclist: loser bikes through their city’s downtown wearing the winning city’s jersey.
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Jays at batting practice Thursday, where he told reporters he’d reached out to U.S. President Donald Trump to try to make his own friendly wager, but he hadn’t heard back. At this point, it seems unlikely he will.
Carney predicted Toronto will win in six games.
Where to watch the games
For fans who weren’t able to get tickets, either because they couldn’t get through Ticketmaster’s fast-selling lottery system or because they were priced out by marked up resales, there are lots of watch parties and events around the city showing Game 1.
The City of Toronto will host free public viewing parties at Nathan Phillips Square for all home games during the championship.
Fans can watch the games live on a giant screen, accompanied by music from a live DJ and Blue Jays trivia with prizes, starting Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Fans react during the ALCS Game 7 between the Jays and the Mariners at Rogers Centre. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The Maple Leafs and Raptors will also show the World Series games on the Scotiabank Arena videoboard following their games. Both teams have moved their games start times to accommodate the World Series schedule.
Many bars and venues will be hosting watch parties, including the RendezViews, which will have two massive outdoor screenings for the first two home games of the World Series. The University of Toronto will also screen the games on the school’s front campus lawn downtown.
Left Field Brewery, a baseball-themed brewpub that opened during 2015 when the Jays made it within two games of the World Series, has seen a spike in beer sales during this playoff run, said co-founder Mandie Murphy.
“Everyone wants the baseball beer now,” she told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Friday, adding that she and her husband and co-founder are also swept up in the playoff excitement. “We love baseball all year round … So for everyone else to be as into it as we always are is really exciting for us.”
For those lucky enough to have tickets this weekend, Toronto police are asking for patience. They recommend using public transit to get to Rogers Centre, due to road closures and large crowds in the area. Groups with children are asked to decide in advance where to meet if separated.
During home games, the city is providing Bike Share valet service outside Rogers Centre and Nathan Phillips Square to ensure people don’t get stuck at a full docking station on their way downtown. Subway service will also be increased over the weekend to help fans get to the games, according to the Toronto Transit Commission.
Drivers should also be aware some roads around the stadium will be closed on game days, though there will be designated pick-up and drop-off spots for ride sharing outside the dome.
There will be an increased police presence outside the dome on game days, including officers from the mounted unit, to manage crowd control.