Anxiety was high for Toronto Blue Jays fans Saturday night, and while the World Series result wasn’t what they wanted, many say the journey to Game 7 has been “amazing.”
“Everyone’s coming together. No one knows each other over here and you still come together, watch the team, we all want them to win and it feels like we are winning,” said Haspreet Singh-Hooda who was downtown to watch the game. “Kudos to the players who brought us to here. It feels amazing.”
The Blue Jays battled hard in the final game on Saturday, starting out with a 3-0 lead after a grand slam home run by Bo Bichette in the third inning.
The Los Angeles Dodgers closed the gap to 3-2 with runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but the Jays then countered with another run in the sixth to bring the Jays 4-2.
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Going into the ninth and final regulation inning, the Dodgers had narrowed the Jays’ lead once more, bringing the score to 4-3. A home run by Miguel Rojas tied the game.
After two extra innings and a home run by the Dodgers’ Will Smith, the Dodgers clinched their second straight title and left Blue Jays fans stunned.
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“Complete shock,” said Omar Bhatti. “Complete distraught is pouring out of those doors in the Rogers Centre right now. The whole city, we were waiting for something to happen. I think we really deserved it. The boys did their best, we played our best, you know we really deserve something.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he felt his team played great, but with both teams having chances to win at the end, “I feel for the guys.”
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“I am so proud of them, of the entire organization really,” Schneider said. “We’ve set a new expectation and a new standard here and did it with a lot of hard work, did it with a lot of cohesiveness.”
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He told reporters that if asked about the 2025 Blue Jays years from now, he’d remember every single player and added he thinks fans would feel the same.
Schneider said he also held his first team meeting after the game and that he probably told the team thank you “about 10 times.”
But the team’s manager said while the feelings surrounding the game will be difficult for days and weeks, he believes they can move on.
“The beauty of baseball is that it goes on,” he said.
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He added that Bichette’s home-run in the third was “up there” with George Springer’s home run during the American League Champion Series against the Seattle Mariners.
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Asked about that home run, Bichette told reporters he was just doing his job.
“I mean, I was just trying to do my job and help the team win,” he said. “I’m gonna hit that home run, but the game wasn’t over at that point.”
When asked if the Game 7 loss made him want to stay in Toronto for another run next year, Bichette said he’s wanted to “be here from the beginning.” He also thanked fans for giving the team the “extra boost” it needed.
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Ernie Clement, who got the Jays their fourth run of the night, said he was feeling a lot of “gratefulness” to be part of the team and playoffs.
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“This is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of,” he said. “To play in the major leagues, play in the playoffs, play in the World Series, win the World Series. So I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to be here, to be part of such an awesome group of guys. And there’s a lot to be proud of here, so it’s not all sadness, I guess.”
It was an emotional time for Chris Bassitt as he spoke with reporters after the game, commending his fellow players and adding he hopes he gets another chance to play with the Jays next season.
“I think it’s hard to replicate true love,” Bassitt said. “You can try to replicate this, a lot of people will try and it’s not really possible for the most part. It’s just this group is really, really special and, man, the ending obviously just sucks.”
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That feeling about this team was echoed by fans outside Rogers Centre and throughout Toronto.
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Daniel Manoukian told Global News the team was “born to win it.”
“It’s a heartache, nothing but a heartache, you know. We were this close from glory and we were robbed,” Manoukian said. “We were born to win it, but somehow, some way, the baseball gods had it something different.”
He said he was confident the Jays would return and win in 2026, but said he’s also thrilled how the World Series run led to such a sense of community. “We cheered, we wanted to feel such happiness and glee, and we were wanting to be in a state of euphoria.”
That feeling was “electric,” for Selena Romero who told Global News she was not the biggest baseball fan before this run.
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“I think the crowd was electric,” she said after being inside Rogers Centre. “Everyone was there, we fell a little short but it’s been an incredible run for the Jays this whole season.”
She did say she felt she “was going to vomit” in the ninth inning, adding, “we didn’t come out on top, but we did our best and I can’t wait to see what this team keeps doing.”
—with files from Global News’ Megan King
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
