Toronto Blue Jays return to the postseason after two years of defeat

The Toronto Blue Jays celebrate after beating the New York Yankees in four games to reach the AL Championship. (Submitted: Yuki Iwamura/The Associated Press)

Canada’s team has officially returned to the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs following last years absence.  

The last time the team played October baseball was 2023, when they lost in the wild-card round. 

Toronto began the postseason by knocking off the New York Yankees in the American League (AL) Division Series. 

Both teams battled for the top spot in the AL East for most of the season. 

The Jays found themselves with two straight wins. Both games were high-scoring affairs, as the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees by a combined score of 23-8.  

In game three, Toronto went up 6-3 midway through the fifth inning. However, the Yankees’ bats came alive in the fifth inning. The team scored six unanswered runs to win the game 9-6.  

Thanks to the loss, the Blue Jays found themselves in jeopardy of blowing a series lead, much like other Toronto sports teams during playoff time.  

This crisis was averted, as the squad ended the series with a 5-2 victory on Oct. 8. Nathan Lukes played hero, smacking a two-run double into the gap to ice the game.  

Toronto rode their momentum and some strong bullpen play in the AL Championship Series. They will now take on the other ALDS winner, the Seattle Mariners.  

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage led the charge versus New York. Vladdy, as he is known among the fans, mashed three home runs and finished with nine runs batted in. Yesavage struck out 11 batters during game two. 

Guerrero’s grand slam in game two had fans reminiscing about Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015. 

When the season began, many had counted the team out. Toronto was coming off a down season where they finished fifth in the AL East. However, the team proved their doubters wrong time and time again.  

On Sept. 23, Toronto locked down a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the team officially clinched the AL East title on Sept. 27.  

Tanner Tripp, a second-year student at St. Thomas University, said he is an avid Blue Jays fan and has been for most of his life. 

Tripp said that cheering for the Blue Jays gives him a bit of “national pride,” as there is only one squad for Canadian baseball fans to support.

“As soon as I saw they were getting a playoff spot, I was really happy … when they won the American League, it was a real good thing, because giving them that bye week, letting them rest was a good way to start the playoffs,” said Tripp. “I think getting the bye is the best thing that [could’ve] happened.”  

Tripp points to the team’s game on Canada Day as the turning point in their season. 

“They've been going strong since then. Towards the end of the season, it got a little too close for the number one spot,” he said. “But it's good to see them succeed.”  

Tripp said Guerrero Jr. was the team’s X-factor during the playoffs. At the same time, he thought other players on the roster are having a strong postseason, such as Dalton Varsho and Davis Schneider.  

Varsho and Schneider were not the main talking points against the Yankees, but they did enough to help the team continue its dominance. 

Toronto went on a long playoff run for the last time in 2015. The team was bounced in the AL Championship by Kansas City, but not before making it past the Wild Card and ALDS rounds. 

Tripp called the moment a “big awakening” for baseball in Canada, one that saw a lot of young players enter the sport. 

He believes something like this could happen again if the Jays continue to find success on their current playoff run, given the exposure of baseball success to a younger audience.  

“Having more Canadians in any sport is always cool,” he said.  

Elliot Proud, a second-year student at Holland College, is a second baseman on his school’s baseball team and occasionally pitches for the Hurricanes.  

Proud began watching the Blue Jays when he started playing baseball over ten years ago. He said it “just made sense” for him to support Canada’s team.  

When the team clinched a playoff spot, he said he was “ecstatic.”  

“Once they started rolling, you could tell that they were going to make a big splash in the playoffs. They make a lot of contact. They don't strike up. They have a lot of good pitchers in the bullpen. They built a team that can win it all,” said Proud. 

Like Tripp, Proud said Guerrero was the team’s best player during the playoffs. However, he thought that Ernie Clement flew under the radar and was someone who made strong contributions.

“He’s getting on base almost every time, and that helps set up the bottom of the lineup, which has scored a lot of runs for the Blue Jays this postseason,” he said.  

As for his hopes for the rest of the playoffs, Proud wants to see Toronto bring the World Series to Canada. However, he also wants to see the team compete in every game and not get blown out.  

“If they're in every game and lose a tight game, you can live with those losses … I just want [to see] exciting games.”