{"id":170371,"date":"2025-11-02T16:01:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/blue-jays-fans-mourn-world-series-loss-to-dodgers-and-what-could-have-been-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T16:01:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:01:17","slug":"blue-jays-fans-mourn-world-series-loss-to-dodgers-and-what-could-have-been-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/blue-jays-fans-mourn-world-series-loss-to-dodgers-and-what-could-have-been-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays fans mourn World Series loss to Dodgers and what could have been – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

MLB
2025 World
Series
Fans in Toronto were left devastated after the Blue Jays' loss to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday. Brett Gundlock \/ Getty Images<\/span>
TORONTO \u2013 Late Friday night, a few dozen Toronto Blue Jays fans huddled outside Rogers Centre, listening to Sportsnet commentator Buck Martinez on the speakers. As they peered through the glass doors, they waited for a slice of history.
It was the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6, with two runners on base. A home run would win the World Series for the Blue Jays, just like in 1993.
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\u201cHere\u2019s our Joe Carter moment,\u201d one fan said to the group. \u201cHere\u2019s our Joe Carter moment right here.\u201d
The Joe Carter moment never came. Instead, Blue Jays fans spent two days on the doorstep of a World Series title they didn\u2019t get to walk through.
On Friday, a big defensive play by Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez and an agonizing baserunning mistake by Toronto\u2019s Addison Barger ended the game<\/a>, setting up a winner-takes-all Game 7 on Saturday.
Less than 24 hours later, fans packed bars and restaurants throughout the city. Rogers Centre was sold out; watch parties at Scotiabank Arena and Nathan Phillips Square were at capacity too. Fans without seats watched from home, or from outside the stadium in downtown Toronto. Across the country, Canadians tuned in. At the Edmonton Oilers game at Rogers Place, the World Series game was broadcast live on the scoreboard.
One family drove from London, Ont., a city over 100 miles south of Toronto, to spend the day around the stadium and \u201chopefully\u201d take part in a late night celebration. Reina Persaud was at Game 3 of the 1992 World Series with her own mother, who died more than a decade ago, and wanted to experience another with her family.
\u201cWe\u2019re here for her,\u201d Persaud said from the family\u2019s spot outside one of the Rogers Centre gates with a view of a television screen, close enough to the speakers that they could hear the game broadcast. The family \u2014 Persaud, her husband, Michael, and their two daughters \u2014 brought snacks and talked about their favorite players, George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Gold Glover Daulton Varsho. Persaud\u2019s eldest daughter, Cadence, said she loves how international the team is.
\u201cWe are a diverse country, and we have a diverse team,\u201d she said.
The Blue Jays, the lone MLB franchise in Canada, have been billed as \u201cCanada\u2019s team.\u201d Amid political tension between Canada and the United States \u2014 the result of an ongoing trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s repeated calls for Canada to become the \u201c51st state\u201d \u2014 the stakes seemed higher for some fans.
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\u201cWe need this win,\u201d Cadence said.
Hundreds more fans flocked to the area around the ballpark when it seemed like \u2014 with a 4-2 lead in the sixth and seventh innings \u2014 the Blue Jays might actually win. Huge crowds gathered around each gate; the biggest formed where Rogers Centre and the base of the CN Tower converge. There, fans cheered, sang \u2018O Canada\u2019 and chanted for Guerrero Jr.
There were grumbles when the Dodgers tied the game in the top of the ninth, but the crowds stayed lively and in some spots got rowdy. One bold Blue Jays fan ripped a flag away from a Dodgers fan to a chorus of cheers. Barricades were toppled over, beers were shotgunned, and some people even stormed the gates into the ballpark after a handful of fans left before the series was decided.
The city was ready to explode. But then catcher Will Smith hit a solo home run to give the Dodgers their first lead of the night.
\u201cWe have to get back to Hamilton,\u201d said one group as the crowd started to thin out.
The fans who stuck around erupted after a Guerrero Jr. double in the bottom of the 11th. But then, with a double play by the Dodgers to end the inning \u2014 and Toronto\u2019s season with a 5-4 Game 7 loss<\/a> \u2014 the night ended in heartbreak.
The area around the ballpark cleared quickly, with little fanfare. Many people inside Rogers Centre left their seats promptly, uninterested in watching the Dodgers celebrate on Toronto\u2019s home field after winning a second consecutive title. Blue Jays players were devastated, and the fans with them.
\u201cI\u2019ve been crying for an hour,\u201d said third baseman Ernie Clement after the game. \u201cI thought I was done with the tears. I just love these guys so much. It was so fun coming to work every day.\u201d
One fan had tears in his eyes watching the confetti fly on the field during the trophy celebration. Many fans \u2014 kids, adults, seniors \u2014 hugged outside the building.
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\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing obviously,\u201d said Rich Gallant, who traveled from Ottawa to attend the game. \u201cIt looked like they\u2019re going to win. And it felt like they deserved to win after outdueling the Dodgers the entire series.\u201d
That\u2019s the thing about the 2025 Blue Jays: They resonated with people across the country and made even long-suffering Toronto sports fans believe that maybe this time could be different.
\u201cThey just seemed to have this camaraderie and team spirit,\u201d said Gallant.
And even though the result wasn\u2019t actually different this time, some fans seemed to accept the loss, focusing more on the thrilling ride \u2013 from finishing last in the AL East, to going the distance in the World Series against a superteam.
\u201cThere\u2019s no way we should have made it this far,\u201d said 25-year-old fan Chris Tabak. \u201cWe had great team chemistry, but the Dodgers spent the money to win. What are you going to do?
\u201cThey made it as far as they could have. They gave them as much of a fight as they could have.\u201d
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shared in the collective heartbreak, saying in a post on X that the team had made all of Canada proud: \u201cAn inspiration to us all pointing to an ever brighter future for all of us in the years ahead,\u201d he wrote.
Absolutely 💔 result.
Congratulations to the @BlueJays<\/a> for a tremendous season and for battling right to the end. You\u2019ve made all of 🇨🇦 proud with how hard you fought, the risks you took, and the teamwork you lived throughout. An inspiration to us all pointing to an ever\u2026
\u2014 Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) November 2, 2025<\/a>