A Jays Fan’s Love of the Game

Graphic of 2025 Blue Jays AL East Champions designed by @smithxdesign on IG

My story starts like any small town Canadian boy's… I loved hockey and everything about it. You could say I ate, breathed and slept hockey. But come spring and summer, my time was spent playing fastball, and during my adult life, slowpitch. Baseball was my second passion. My friends and I played MVP 2005 on the Playstation 2 and we played pick up games in the school yard. Yet it was not until my twenties that I started paying real attention to the game. I have my cousin to thank for the introduction; the more he taught me, the more my love grew.

The majority of my friends are Toronto Blue Jays fans, and being the only Canadian team in the MLB, the decision to be a Jays fan was quite easy. Of the current roster, my favorite players are Kevin Gausman and George Springer. I love the passion and competitiveness both players bring to the field. They were on my radar before they signed in free agency with the Blue Jays, and since signing, I have both jerseys in my closet. There’s something unique about a country having a single professional team and knowing there are millions of other fans cheering along with you for 162 games a year.

Kevin Gausman Jays Profile (Baseball Reference)

I’m often asked, “How do you watch a full game on TV?” or “Why do you like baseball?” I love the idea of Mason Miller or Jacob Misiorowski throwing a 100 mph fastball, and facing another athlete who can hit a back breaking curveball. When you hear the age old sports saying, “it's the game within the game,” I truly believe that is baseball. Every movement from positioning, stepping in the batters box, toeing the rubber… it's all about helping the team get one hit or one out closer to winning the game and playing for the World Series in October. A batter vs pitcher face off that will forever go down in Toronto Blue Jays history took place on October 20, 2025, when George Springer was facing Eduard Bazardo of the Seattle Mariners. It was the bottom of the 7th and the Mariners had the lead, 3-1. With a 1-0 count, Springer sent a pitch sailing over the left field wall, giving the Bluejays a 4-3 lead, which would eventually send the Jays to their first World Series berth since 1993! 

George Springer ALCS Game Six HR Jays (MLB.com)

I enjoy watching the game at home with friends, but nothing surpasses being at the ballpark. I’ve been to the Rogers Centre numerous times. Being from Western Canada, I try to make a yearly trip to Toronto to catch a few home games. One memorable home game happened on September 3rd, 2021, the first in the Blue Jays vs Oakland weekend series. Up until the bottom of the 8th inning, the Athletics were cruising with an 8-2 lead, but the Jays were able to put up 6 runs in the inning, with 4 runs coming from a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. grand slam. The teams battled back and forth until the bottom of the 9th, when Marcus Semien hit a 3-run home run to win the game 11-10! Nothing beats the roar of the stadium after a 3-run homer and watching the home team win with 50,000 other fans, whilst enjoying a ballpark hot dog. 

There are baseball moments in which I’ll always remember where I was when they took place. The Bautista bat flip that rocked a country, the onfield fight that kept a budding rivalry heated, and two straight wildcard round collapses. One of my favorite live ballpark moments was attending the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Monday Night baseball game when David Ortiz threw the first pitch, making his first public appearance after being shot in the Dominican Republic (of course, I had my Jays jersey on). But nothing takes the cake like the magical 2025 Toronto Blue Jays season. My favorite highlights were the Canada Day game against the Yankees when George Springer hit a grand slam, the emergence of Trey Yesavage at the end of September and into October, the Jays clinching the A.L. East in game 162, and getting to watch Canada's team in the World Series! I can't wait to see what the 2026 season has in store for us Jays fans.

About the Author

Matthew Roberts lives in Prince Albert, Sask. Canada. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with family & friends, reading, going for dog walks, playing golf & slow pitch (when he’s not nursing an injury)! Follow him on Instagram (mattr798) and X (mattr798). Thanks for reading!