‘Very united’: Toronto Blue Jays fans nervous, excited amid push for the pennant

But fans of the Toronto team say the playoff run means more than just a push for a pennant. It’s about connecting with others during those nail-biting moments, they say.

For Rajsky, that means texting his friends back and forth through every inning, “whether it’s in excitement or in frustration.”

“I feel that Toronto fans are diehard and know a lot more about baseball than I think are given credit for, and that it really is a community and a family thing,” said Rajsky. “You’re not just an individual watching a ball game. It’s the feeling of we’re all in this together.”

That rings true for Scott Belford, who described himself as a “glass half full kind of guy” when asked about the Jays’ fight this week for the AL East title. Belford, who hosts Blue Jays podcast “The Walkoff,” said he thinks the Jays have a real shot at winning and it feels different from their legendary post-season run in 2015 and 2016.

“Even yesterday, I went to the butcher to buy some sausages and I was wearing my Jays hat, and right away both the workers were like, ‘Oh, the Jays, right on! What do you think is going to happen?'” said Belford. “‘You start talking baseball and it kind of breaks down everything else. It’s very fun.”

The Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch the pennant is still at four, meaning four Toronto wins, four Yankees losses, or a combination of both, will give them the AL East title. It’s become a lot closer than a lot of fans would have wanted, said Belford, but it’s still exciting.

“The fun thing about the Blue Jays, is that they are Canada’s lone team … you are a very united bunch and it’s a fun watch just to get on board and feel that excitement that playoff baseball brings,” said Belford. “You can just feel good about getting behind the one team and have fun with it.”

Even if they don’t win, the hardcore fans “will really appreciate what this team has delivered,” said Belford. The Jays had all players of the lineup contribute this season, he said, making it a fun team to watch.

“I don’t want to think too much about the what-if-it-all-goes-wrong, but it has been a really fun ride and I’m just appreciative of the hard work the boys have put in.”

The Jays’ run for the playoffs this season has left fans like Luis Yarroll with something even greater.

Yarroll travelled to Canada from London, U.K., and went to a Blue Jays game last month, thanks to his Canadian family members. Experiencing the Rogers Centre atmosphere was “insanely fun,” he said, even though Toronto lost that game and didn’t even score many runs.

“I jumped into all of the cliches — stickers on the cheeks, hotdogs bigger than me,” Yarroll said with a laugh. “It was such an incredible atmosphere and it was so friendly.”

Yarroll wasn’t the only one excited about ballpark hotdogs – Blue Jays fans broke the record for most “Loonie Dogs” consumed in a season, scarfing down a total of 826,308 hotdogs sold for a dollar at every Tuesday home game.

Regardless of whether the Jays win the World Series, “they’ve still done me proud,” Yarroll said. The season is also symbolic of the time he got to spend with his family overseas, he added.

“It has almost given me an invisible string to my Canadian family. It has allowed me to remain connected to them in some way. So every time I see the Jays, I see them,” said Yarroll.

“It makes me proud to be able to have a personal connection, rather than just calling it a team. It’s more than that to me.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2025.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

‘Very united’: Toronto Blue Jays fans nervous, excited amid push for the pennant

More Local News