Toronto Blue Jays: The Real World Series Champions

Writer: Amina Mian
Editor: Sabrina Khan

“It’s not fair. It’s just NOT fair.” For almost two weeks after the Toronto Blue Jays’ devastating loss to the LA Dodgers in game 7 of the World Series, these two sentences were on repeat. My mind could not get over the idea that it wasn’t us on that stage. Instead, it was the team that now have a two-year winning streak that got to bring home the trophy. Of course, scrolling on my baseball-consumed TikTok feed and watching edits over “Sparks” by Coldplay didn’t help; there was something about this loss that really bothered me. Maybe it was the fact that for the first time since the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship Series in 2019, our city was brought together. Seeing the downtown streets flooded with blue and white, and small streets having their Blue Jays flags out, was definitely a sight to see. Or maybe it was the way we had proved the whole world wrong by being the ‘underdogs’ who made it to the top, giving the whole city a boost of inner confidence and hope. 

After giving it much thought, I realized it was something deeper than that. Everyone around me seemed to be concerned about how upset I was. It’s not even like I was this huge baseball fan that watched every game in the regular season. In fact, I was the complete opposite. My dad and brother are huge fans, and I only really came to realize how far the Blue Jays had come this season when I heard the loud cheers from my living room on October 20 after George Springer hit the huge home run, bringing us the win to proceed to the final round. That’s when I realized how serious the stakes had gotten. A few days later, during game 1 of the World Series, I decided it was the perfect time to learn how this sport really worked (mind you, the tension at home was insane and these questions didn’t help): “How many bases are there? Where does the ball have to go for it to be considered an out? Wait… which player is that? WHY IS HE STRIKED OUT?” The questions didn’t end until the game was over, but I walked away that night with so much knowledge about the sport that I was confident I could start playing myself.

For the next week or so, all I did was watch the games and look forward to the nights when the Jays were playing. What seemed like an absurd reality just a few days ago had now become real, as I was the last person awake still watching a sport that I wasn’t invested in less than four days ago, and I remained that way even on days when I had a test the next day (and yes… I did stay up to watch game 3 that dragged out to 18 innings). The dress downs we had at school were my favourite and reminded me how our entire school was in support of the Jays, cheering them on both at home and at school. 

The moment the Dodgers had their last-minute lucky double play in overtime of the final game and the sports commentator announced who the winner of the 2025 World Series was, not hearing the word “Jays” was like a punch in the gut. I couldn’t believe it, and my delusion took over as I kept telling myself it wasn’t real. But then I saw all the fans begin to leave the stadium, and the Dodgers pouring onto the field, and the showers of confetti being gold and not blue — then I had to face the fact that the win wasn’t ours in the end.

Fans in blue and white flooding the downtown streets after the Blue Jays make it to the World Series

So maybe it was just that — the way I, like many other fans, got so attached to the sport and certain that we were gonna win — that made the loss an even greater disappointment. However, while some might argue that this isn’t true, I believe that we were the real winners by the end of the post-season. Firstly, for the first time in 32 years, we made it to the World Series. That’s making history as it is. To add onto that, I don’t think anyone can find another underdog that unexpectedly rose to the very top. Secondly, the team bond is unmatchable. The players are best friends and support each other through loss or win. You can really differentiate the brotherhood that they have compared to other teams. No one put the blame on one player, and instead, all they did was congratulate each other after their loss. Even they knew it wasn’t a loss, but rather a symbol of all their successes after the post-season: something worth celebrating. And lastly, but most importantly, they did something not a lot of teams can do. They brought a whole country together, and gave us hope for what’s to come in the future. They instilled a desire in not just me, but several other people, to want to learn how this sport works — so much so that personally, I am motivated to channel this passion into something real and actually start playing baseball in the spring next year. 

Who knows: maybe we’ll win next season, or maybe we won’t, but the progress made by the Blue Jays this year has proved to everyone the potential of the Jays and our community. Although our team may not look the same next year, with many players being traded off, this year was one for the books. I can’t wait for what’s to come because I know that winners aren’t defined by just trophies or big titles. A real winner is someone who may not make it out on top, but has progressed over time and become the best version of themselves. They celebrate the joy in making mistakes, and realize that there’s no way to win without falling a few times first. And to me, that’s exactly what the Jays did this season; they took the podium in all our hearts as number 1.