Though many members of the current Blue Jays roster weren’t even born the last time Toronto won a World Series, they’re now part of a team that’s waiting for the curtain tp open on baseball’s biggest stage.
And this new generation isn’t shying away from the spotlight either, telling a nation of hungry fans that they’re “built for this,” that they were “born ready.”
They’ll get a chance to prove it on Friday night when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 1 of the World Series at Rogers Centre.
Just last year, the Blue Jays finished last in their division. But they turned things around this season and won the American League East, followed by a post-season where they took out the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.
Everyone from the Toronto faithful who flooded the streets to celebrate Monday’s win to the fans watching across the country are excited to see the Jays play in a World Series for the first time in more than 30 years.
So whether you’re a faithful fan who’s been following the team since 1977, or if you’ve just hopped on the bandwagon, we’ve got a primer for what to expect.
The Blue Jays won 94 games during the regular season this year, en route to winning the American League East division title.
That record meant the 2025 Jays clinched a playoff spot and bypassed the wildcard round that has stymied past squads.
They then took down the powerful New York Yankees in the American League Division Series (ALDS).
Delirious Blue Jays fans pour into the streets of Toronto
Toronto lost the first two home games of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Seattle Mariners, but they won the next two on the road and eventually clinched the series in Monday’s crucial winner-take-all Game 7.
Toronto famously won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 (against the Atlanta Braves) and 1993 (against the Philadelphia Phillies).
After those World Series titles, the Blue Jays didn’t make the post-season for another 22 years until the team, led by José Bautista, made it to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016, where they were defeated.
More recently, Toronto has struggled in the wildcard round, getting swept in 2020, 2022 and again in 2023.
Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named the MVP of the ALCS, and his team will expect him to build on his epic playoff performance of 19 hits (including six homers and the franchise’s first ever post-season grand slam) and 12 runs driven in.
Guerrero was born in Montreal and the 26-year-old has spent his entire major league career with the Jays and recently signed a 14-year, $500-million extension with the club.
He seems eager to step into his role as the face of the franchise, telling a stadium full of ecstatic hometown fans after the Game 6 ALCS win that he was “born ready” for the moment.
Toronto had the highest regular-season batting average of any major league team, and got on base more consistently than other teams, too. During the playoffs, those bats have been just as powerful, with hitting contributions coming from up and down the lineup.
In addition to Guerrero’s six long balls, Blue Jays slugger George Springer has four home runs, Alejandro Kirk has three, and teammates Andrés Giménez, Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger each have two.
Toronto infielder Ernie Clement also has a post-season homer that’s among the 18 hits contributing to his scorching .429 batting average through the playoffs so far. Outfielder Nathan Lukes has 13 hits and is hitting .333 across the same stretch.
Defensively, Toronto has five standout fielders in the running for Gold Glove awards this year.
That slick fielding has been an advantage in the playoffs, with the team turning three consecutive inning-ending double plays during Game 6 against the Mariners in the ALCS.
When it comes to pitching, the Jays have generally had solid post-season performances from veteran starters.
That includes Kevin Gausman (who started Games 1 and 5 of the ALCS and also came out of the bullpen late in Game 7), Shane Bieber (who started Games 3 and 7) and future hall-of-famer Max Scherzer, whose feisty mound conversation with manager John Schneider in Game 4 quickly became the stuff of memes.
Then there’s 22-year-old rookie phenom Trey Yesavage who’s had a Cinderella season with the Jays.
He spent most of the year surging through the minor leagues before making his debut with the Jays in September. He had just three regular season starts before taking the mound for Game 2 of the ALDS, where his split-finger fastball absolutely baffled the Yankees and helped him strike out 11 batters.
Yesavage went on to start two games in the ALCS, and will likely take the mound at least once more in the World Series.
Toronto’s bullpen, meanwhile, has had ups and downs. A pair of Toronto relievers had a rough outing in Game 5 of the ALCS, giving up a massive grand slam that pushed the Jays to the brink of elimination.
But they also helped shut the door on Seattle in Games 6 and 7, with closer Jeff Hoffman delivering particularly clutch performances in both games.
Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette has missed Toronto’s playoff run so far, after an injury kept him from taking the field in both the ALDS and the ALCS.
The hot-hitting Toronto short stop had been having a great season at the plate, when he sprained his knee after colliding with the Yankees’ catcher during a Sept. 6 game.
He still hit 18 homers and drove in 94 runs, despite missing much of the final month of the season.
After Toronto’s Game 7 win, Bichette said he’d “be ready” to rejoin his team for the World Series.
There’s been no official word on his status from the team, though Schneider recently told reporters that Bichette is making “significant progress” in his rehab.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who play in the National League, won 93 games in the regular season.
Though they won their division, they still had to play a wildcard round, where they swept the Cincinnati Reds.
They went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series, and swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
Can the Jays beat the Dodgers?
The Dodgers have ample playoff experience, having gone to the final in 2017 (losing to the Houston Astros) and 2018 (losing to the Boston Red Sox).
They won the World Series in 2020 and again last year.
Retired Yankees star and baseball analyst Derek Jeter has deemed the Dodgers “a juggernaut” that Toronto will be hard-pressed to defeat.
For one, they’re a team with a lot of power in their lineup. The Dodgers hit 244 home runs during the regular season.
And sure, superstar Shohei Ohtani slammed 55 of those long bombs, but L.A. also has four other players with 20 or more homers.
Ohtani is also part of the sharp Dodgers pitching staff that held the Brewers — arguably the best team in baseball going into the playoffs — to just 14 hits in the NLCS.
Ohtani, the reigning MVP of the National League, will be a definite threat to the Blue Jays whether he’s at the plate or on the mound.
That’s because he’s a rare “two-way” player, who is formally listed as both a pitcher and a position player — in his case a designated hitter.
He’s put all of these talents on display for Los Angeles during the playoffs, where he’s hit five home runs, had nine RBIs and scored seven runs. He’s also won two post-season starts for the Dodgers, striking out 19 batters.
Joe Carter welcomes 2025 Jays to World Series club
The first two games will take place at Toronto’s Rogers Centre — Game 1 on Friday, and Game 2 on Saturday.
The series then moves to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Monday, Oct. 27; Game 4 on Tuesday, Oct. 28; and, if necessary, Game 5 on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
If Game 6 is necessary, the series comes back to Rogers Centre on Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31. A potential Game 7 would also be in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 1.
All the World Series games are scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET.
