The ‘Team of Destiny’ headed to the Fall Classic

Everyone knows it now: this team is different

Image by: Sarah Adams
Gaels move to 10-2-1, earning a fifth-place rank nationally.

A destiny fulfilled: the Blue Jays sank the Mariners to reach the World Series, capping off an improbable turnaround.

At the end of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MBL) Season, the Toronto Blue Jays finished last in their division with just 74 disappointing games, missing the playoffs entirely. With superstar Vladimir ‘Vladdy’ Guerrero Jr., nearing free agency and doubts swirling around the bullpen, the Toronto air was thick with uncertainty—until this year’s improbable turnaround rewrote the script.

One year later, that same team’s heading to the Fall Classic to face the reigning MLB champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a season defined by magic—filled with special moments and incredible action—the Blue Jays have a date with destiny.

Few believed in this team heading into the 2025 Season. But at some point, during the offseason, something shifted—with hope returning to Toronto and the Blue Jays franchise. The players know it, the coaches know it, the fans know it, and the world of baseball knows it, too: this team is different.

The way fans reminisce about the 2015 Blue Jays is how we’ll talk about this team a decade from now. But there’s something different about this group; they’re simply better at winning. They don’t rely on superstars to carry them. Every spot in the lineup can do damage, the rotation attacks, the bullpen delivers, and the defence borders on superhuman. Even their at-bats have a polish that speaks to a team built for October.

This Blue Jays team is destined for Canadian sports lore. From young athletes chasing their dreams to Queen’s students striving for glory, they’ll all look up in awe, believing they too can win big and make memories that last.

Comparatively, the team is different—and it doesn’t get any sweeter than this. Most comeback wins in baseball, most hits in baseball, highest batting average in baseball, lowest strikeout percentage in baseball, and highest rated defence in baseball. Everyone contributes to the wins, and everyone takes responsibility for the losses.

There’s something special about this group—an energy that sparks pure, unfiltered joy. Every player contributes in their own way, and no two are alike. The magic in that clubhouse defies explanation. “We got studs. We got dogs. We got homies,” Blue Jays centre fielder Myles Straw told The Athletic—and he’s right.

This team plays with heart, grit, and unity every single day.

After a game four victory over the New York Yankees, the Blue Jays found themselves in a best-of-seven series against the number two seed Seattle Mariners. The emotions were high as the series began, after Toronto lost its first two games at home. But after winning games three and four and another win in game six to force game seven, the Toronto Blue Jays were one win, one swing away from glory.

Earlier in the series, George Springer took a runaway fastball to the knee, sending a wave of panic through Blue Jays fans who feared his season was over. As he lay on the ground in pain, the Seattle crowd’s cheers echoed a lack of sportsmanship—but Springer wasn’t done yet.

Now, with runners on second and third and the Jays trailing 3–1, Springer—a proven postseason hitter—stepped up against Eduard Bazardo. On a 1–0 pitch, he launched a moonshot to left-centre. The Rogers Centre exploded into chaos. It was the biggest swing since Joe Carter touched ’em all—and for a new generation of fans, it was their moment.

Fans are forever grateful for the chance to have watched that 2015 and 2016 team play. That was the team of our childhood and the one that made us believe in the first place. But it’s this team now that has made us believe even more. Blue Jays fans have dreamt about watching their beloved team make it all the way to the World Series again for a chance at something great.

This team is special, and the fans know it, too.

Tags

baseball, Blue Jays, Canada, MBL

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