SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 On this perfectly crisp and sunny October day, Canadian Grant Murray was eager to drive down to Seattle for a once-in-a-lifetime Major League Baseball playoff game featuring his beloved Toronto Blue Jays. <\/p>\n
But he really didn\u2019t want to be here in the United States, and the 62-year-old lawyer from Vancouver, B.C., was determined to spend as little money as possible after his older brother, who flew in from Australia, convinced him to go.<\/p>\n
In the past, Murray said he\u2019d typically make a special days-long trip to Seattle to see the Blue Jays during the regular season, spending five times as much money enjoying Washington state along the way. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have a hot dog inside but I\u2019m not here to spend money,\u201d Murray said Wednesday, detailing the limited expenses planned for his visit to T-Mobile Park for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners. \u201cI\u2019m only here for the Blue Jays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toronto won the game 13-4<\/a>, though Seattle still leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with the American League pennant and the chance to the play in the World Series on the line. More Canadians are expected Thursday and Friday for the remaining Seattle games before heading back to Toronto, if needed.<\/p>\n Like many Canadians, Murray has been boycotting the U.S.<\/a> since the Trump administration started threating Canada\u2019s economy and sovereignty with tariffs<\/a> and heated political rhetoric, most offensively of all by claiming Canada could be \u201cthe 51st state.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n But like many Canadians, Murray is also a die-hard Blue Jays fan, so he made an exception for baseball this week and paid $280 for a standing-room-only ticket \u2014 the cheapest he could find. But, he points out, he\u2019s not drinking the beer and refuses to spend the night in a Seattle hotel, opting instead to drive more than six hours roundtrip on a weeknight to root for Canada\u2019s only MLB team.<\/p>\n \u201cI switched from not visiting (Seattle) to visiting because of this,\u201d Murray said of the playoff series while donning a clearly much-loved T-shirt from the 1992 playoffs that ended with Toronto\u2019s first-ever World Series championship.<\/p>\n You could call this a geopolitical thaw for the love of the ball, made possible both by Canadians\u2019 fervent Blue Jays fandom and the deep Pacific Northwest ties that bind British Columbia and Washington state.<\/p>\n Rhiannon McMillan called the Blue Jays-Mariners matchup a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see her two favorite teams. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is my dream series,\u201d said the 36-year-old electrician from Maple Ridge, B.C. \u201cEither way, I can\u2019t lose.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, of course the Blue Jays have the hearts of Canadians at large. In fact, MLB reports that there are 15.8 million Blue Jays fans across Canada, over half of whom live outside of Ontario, which by the league\u2019s count represents the largest single fan base of any Canadian professional sports team.<\/p>\n But the Great White North being so massive means many Canadians also have loyalty to an American club on the side, a natural fandom out of proximity. Inside the game, McMillan said Mariners fans were gracious and welcoming \u2014 the exuberant atmosphere serving as a reminder of how much she missed visiting the area even if the political environment nationally couldn\u2019t be erased from the picture. <\/p>\n McMillan said she didn\u2019t hesitate to pay $300 for her ticket to see the game with friends, though the mom of three refused to bring her kids along due to U.S. politics.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a small pocket of love and harmony for a few hours,\u201d McMillan said. <\/p>\n She added: \u201cMy biggest reasons for avoiding (the U.S.) is 100% the fear of uncertainty over how this administration may change policy on a whim, (and) their casual disregard of the Constitution and rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n McMillan said she\u2019s especially concerned about its policies on transgender rights, as well as the possibility that her kids could witness ICE agents detaining families. Recently, her family was also debating between Disneyland in California or Mexico for an upcoming vacation and decided against the U.S. destination despite having family in that area. <\/p>\n