They’re back in the series and soon to be back at home — Blue Jays fans are buzzing after Toronto defeated Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series Tuesday.
For the second day in a row, more than 27,000 fans filled Rogers Centre to take in the game on the video scoreboard. This time, the watch party was half as long and twice as sweet, as fans cheered the Jays to a 6-2 win that ended well before midnight.
Sam Hatch-Restrepo said the highlight was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s go-ahead home run off Ohtani, which caused the Rogers Centre crowd to erupt.
“Like, you can’t ever get enough of that guy hitting dingers,” he said. “Tonight was fantastic. Such a good crowd. It felt like the game was actually going on [in person]. The fans here in Toronto are just incredible.”
Blue Jays bounce back with Game 4 win
And they’ll now get at least one more chance to cheer on the Blue Jays in the flesh. Tuesday’s win evens the series at two games apiece, guaranteeing a Game 6 in Toronto.
“I’m feeling like it’s ours,” Hatch-Restrepo said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s in six or if it’s in seven, the Jays are getting it done. It’s happening here at home.”
Coming off the heels of an 18-inning loss that ended just before 3 a.m. ET on the same day Game 4 would be played, Jays fans, like the team itself, showed no signs of fatigue.
Deborah Rule was back at Rogers Centre for the second straight night, after spending more than six hours in the seats for the heartbreaking Game 3 loss.
She said the Game 4 win has energized her for a third straight night under the dome — and she plans to bring the sparkly Jays jacket she bought for the World Series as a good luck charm.
“I’m here tomorrow, and I’m not taking it off,” she said.
Plenty of Blue Jays gear was also on display in Los Angeles for the game Tuesday. Chris Simpson, who now lives in Arizona but grew up in Markham, said he was “a touch” nervous to wear his jersey in hostile territory, but wound up in a section with a handful of other Toronto fans.
“It was nice to see the Canadian contingent come out and support the boys,” he said.
While Simpson said he was “so pumped” to see the Jays win a World Series game in person, his five-year-old daughter said her favourite part of the game was “getting kettle corn.”
Another Ontario transplant, Paul Mercer, who wore his Toronto swag along with his daughter (despite his wife’s Dodgers cap), said he would celebrate the win by breaking out the only Jays paraphernalia he’d brought to L.A. when he moved.
“All I’ve got left from my Toronto days is my [Jays] beer mugs and I’ll be filling them for the next games and when we win the whole thing,” said Mercer.
As the stadium emptied, two Jays supporters told CBC News their adrenaline was “at an all-time high” as Canadian baseball fans.
“Freeman had the home run yesterday, he plays for the Canadian national team. We had Vladdy, born in Montreal, hit a home run today. Canada’s on top right now, and we’re so proud of our Canadian team right now,” one said.
Tuesday’s win was especially poignant for Toronto fans.
The team faced Shohei Ohtani — just hours after he’d torched the Blue Jays with two home runs, two doubles and five walks — in his World Series pitching debut. And while the rest of the baseball world watched with excitement, some of Jays nation watched with the bitter taste of the 2023 offseason still in their mouths.
Ohtani, whose almost-superhuman combination of hitting and pitching prowess made him that year’s most eligible free agent, was looking to commit long term with a new team.
Toronto was reported to be among the front-runners for Ohtani, and wild speculation ensued. Private planes rumoured to be flying Ohtani to Toronto were tracked, catering orders from restaurants near the Rogers Centre were scrutinized, and, for a brief moment, the team and its fan base allowed themselves to believe this courtship could end in a massive deal.
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Then came the sting of rejection. Ohtani opted instead to sign with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700-million US deal.
At Tuesday’s Rogers Centre watch party, thousands of kilometres outside Ohtani’s earshot, some Jays fans were willing to acknowledge the rejection still stings.
“There’s always going to [be] hurt feelings every time you miss out on a superstar,” said Jays fan Kyle Warren.
Though Ohtani picked up the loss in Game 4, only a Blue Jays championship may truly allow some Toronto fans to move on.
While Toronto fans were excited about the Jays’ play Tuesday night, many were frustrated with the club’s owner. Sportsnet+, also owned by Rogers, had major streaming issues in the middle of the game.
Many fans posted about the problem online, complaining about their service considering the telecom company, which has exclusive English TV rights to the World Series in Canada, just raised streaming fees this season.
So <a href=”https://twitter.com/Sportsnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Sportsnet</a> app crashes out for everyone during the Blue Jays biggest inning. This after they raised their prices while offering nothing new of value and having a complete hold on MLB rights <a href=”https://t.co/HsdpctTA7g”>pic.twitter.com/HsdpctTA7g</a>
I like how Sportsnet’s error message makes it to be our fault that their streaming service doesn’t work, which we pay lots of money for. <a href=”https://t.co/a2uPvYGr1s”>pic.twitter.com/a2uPvYGr1s</a>
I want a refund, <a href=”https://twitter.com/Sportsnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Sportsnet</a>. It’s absolutely ridiculous that your app is down during the World Series.
“We are aware that certain Sportsnet+ customers are currently experiencing an issue streaming content,” a note on Sportsnet’s website read, adding a link for fans to watch Game 4.
A spokesperson for Rogers’ Sportsnet said in an email there was a “brief issue with streaming” Tuesday night that was quickly resolved during the game, and a free stream was made available on sportsnet.ca in the meantime. They did not say what caused the issue.
