The Toronto Blue Jays take on the New York Yankees Saturday in a matchup that has Canadian baseball fans buzzing.
As a fan, you can enter the playoffs as calmly as General Manager John Schneider on Friday: “Success is about winning and just playing our game.” Or, you might be feeling like George Springer last Sunday: “Here we f–king go!”
Game 1 starts at 4:08 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre, where the dome should be open given summer-like conditions in the city. Toronto’s sidewalks are already noticeably more blue thanks to all the Jays swag and it’s a safe bet the stadium will be roaring since, you know, it’s been like that for the entire second half of the season.
To get you ready – even if you’re a bandwagon fan just trying to sound smart at the bar – here are some of the key storylines.
WATCH | Fans from across the country are screaming ‘Go Jays Go’ into the playoffs:
Jays game draws fans from almost all Canadian provinces
They may be called the Toronto Blue Jays, but their fans span far beyond the city. CBC’s Greg Ross tracked down people from across Canada who are in town to see the team play.
They can’t keep winning like this (or can they)
Here’s your one-liner about the Jays: “They’re a fantastic comeback team and when they’re at their best everyone in the lineup is a threat to hit or score a run.”
This powered the Jays to a 94-win season.
The Jays recipe, which often relies on players some baseball fans have never heard of, has at times seemed so improbable it’s left broadcasters wondering aloud: how much longer can they sustain this?
You heard lots of this in June and July, as the team racked up improbable wins and surged past the Yankees to take the division lead.
Turns out, it kept working.
Sure, there were heroics from the big names: the aforementioned Springer, who leads the team in home runs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette (still out of the lineup while recovering from a knee injury suffered while playing the Yankees in early September) and Alejandro Kirk.
But it’s players like Ernie Clement who seem to exemplify the out-of-nowhere style of attack best. The team’s big-hearted utility player has a knack for collecting big hits and making key plays.
WATCH | A pep talk from the Jays general manager for those who doubted the team could do it:
Jays coach reacts to team’s American League East Division win
The Toronto Blue Jays are American League East Division champions for the first time since 2015. Check out manager John Schneider’s locker room speech after the big win.
And the comebacks? This is a team with 45 come-from-behind wins this season – more victories than the Colorado Rockies recorded all year.
Translation to the fan experience: the Jays are fun to watch, and you should keep the faith if they’re trailing.
Speaking of watching
Jays fans have been left fuming in recent years as American broadcasters took over the call in the playoffs.
Not this year.
Buck Martinez, Dan Shulman and Hazel Mae will be handling the broadcast for this series – something Martinez called an honour during an interview this week with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.
“We are the luckiest broadcasters in the majors,” Shulman said.
Martinez’s take is the Jays need to keep up their stellar defence. He’s also looking for more offensive production from Springer, whose Canada Day grand slam against the Yankees was an all-time highlight.
“George Springer is hot right now,” Martinez said.
Shulman said Springer — who has played in two World Series and seven post-seasons in his career — has also been sharing his playoff experience with the many young players on the team, quietly pulling them aside during their practices this week.
He figures it’s a 50-50 series going in, but said the Jays have what it takes to advance.
“If they can be at their best they can win this series,” Shulman said.
The little fun things
Baseball purists, avert your eyes for this section.
Every MLB team has a “thing,” and for the Jays it’s the vaunted (and sparkly) home run jacket, or the hand-waggle gesture when they reach base.
After every Blue Jay home run, expect to see this swagged-out jacket make an appearance. (David Zalubowski/The Associated Press)
If you don’t know what we’re talking about when we say “waggle,” just head to your local little league park and watch the kids copy it.
The scary part
What’s baseball without a little anxiety? Here’s some fuel for the worriers.
The Yankees have Aaron Judge, who, if you’re unfamiliar, is a real-life giant who appears born to smash home runs. Expect the Jays to intentionally walk Judge when they can, manager Schneider confirmed to reporters.
“If there’s a way to limit the times he does swing … that’s a benefit for us,” he said.
The Yankees actually have a bunch of dudes who are good at hitting home runs. As a fan, this means you’ll probably have that pit in your stomach whenever they’re batting. The Blue Jays have a lot of great pitchers, but they have been prone to giving up home runs.
This Yankees team is also experienced. New York went to the World Series last year and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, so a lot of those players are used to the intensity of playoff baseball and are looking for revenge this October.
The case for optimism
The obvious one is this: the Blue Jays won their season series against New York 8-5 and are 54-27 on their home field this season.
New York has a bad record against winning teams – going just 45-44 in those contests during the regular season. That said, they’re fresh off beating the very solid Boston Red Sox and finished the regular season on an eight-game win streak, so maybe don’t read too much into that statistic.
Whether you’ve been following the team all year, all your life, or since this morning, you should now be well-prepared to cheer on the Jays this October. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)
But the Yankees can play some truly sloppy defence, especially at the Rogers Centre, where they committed a slew of errors this season. This bodes well for a Blue Jays team that emphasizes putting the ball in play and exerting pressure on the defence.
Be kind to the Jays fans in your lives
OK, so you’re caught up on the Jays, the team that knows how to win and has a great vibe.
The Jays fans in your life have been following the team all summer — on the radio during family road trips, in rival ballparks, or from their favourite spot on the couch — and they’ll be going through it for the next week.
Feel free to join in the fun.
