Blue Jays fans in Newfoundland and Labrador are already on the edge of their seats, and the World Series hasn’t even started.
The excitement reached a Game 7 fever pitch in the early hours of Tuesday morning when George Springer cracked a go-ahead home run to send the team to its first World Series since 1993.
“[I] always believed that they could make it. I’ve always rooted for them, no matter how far down they went,” Gary Porter, a Jays fan for as long as he can remember, told CBC News in St. John’s.
“You would have seen my young fella call me at 1 a.m. and telling me to shut up. He was trying to sleep for school. And other than that, [you would have seen] me dancing, and I don’t dance.”
Springer’s home run found the left field seats just as the clock struck midnight in Newfoundland. The Jays were able to hold on to a 4-3 lead for the win, booking their ticket to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series beginning Friday.
Melissa Hogan watched every pitch. The season has had highs and lows, she said, but culminated in the team’s first American League championship in 32 years.
“If you had asked me in April, even early May, I’d be like ‘no, no chance.’ They finished last in their division last year, so this is a huge leap. But little bit by little bit, they just kept winning and winning and finding ways to win, and it’s a really fun team,” Hogan said.
She was also able to secure tickets to Game 6 of the series, which will take place in Toronto if necessary.
“The energy of the crowd around you, especially in those big moments … you feed off everybody else’s energy. So it’s just super special,” Hogan said.
In downtown St. John’s, sales of Blue Jays gear have been fast and furious at Maverick Sports and Collectibles.
Owner Andrew Corbett spent the morning fielding calls about whether or not fans could get their hands on the championship t-shirts and hats players wore on the field to mark their success.
Andrew Corbett, owner of Maverick Sports and Collectibles, said fans were calling about and buying Jays merchandise all day Tuesday. (Darryl Murphy/CBC)
“It’s actually really surprising this year how many people we’ve had coming in and buying stuff who are actually going away to the games in Toronto. Or we even had a couple people in this morning who are going to the Dodgers game,” Corbett said.
“Being the only Canadian team, it’s not hard to cheer for them.”
Corbett said he and other fans have rallied behind the team and how they play for one another.
Although the Dodgers have opened as betting favourites in search of their second consecutive title, Corbett said he believes the Blue Jays will make some noise in the series.
“They’ve got a good team,” he said. “I think they got a chance.”
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