On October 14th, 2015, José Bautista hit one of the most memorable homeruns in Blue Jays franchise history in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series to send Canada’s team to the American League Championship Series. Fast forward a decade, George Springer surpassed that moment with a homerun of his own. In Game 7 of the ALCS, Springer took a sinker from Mariner’s reliever Eduard Bazardo and drove it to seats in left-centre field for a go-ahead 3-run homerun to send the Blue Jays to their first World Series in 32 years.
You couldn’t have scripted it any better. Springer, who has been the MVP of the team all season, the man who has been clutch in the playoffs over his entire career, came up in the biggest spot of the season, and when the team needed him most, delivered in the greatest possible way. It will likely be seen as one of the greatest homeruns in franchise history, but for now, it’s another magical moment in a season that has been filled with dramatic comebacks and break-out performances all year long.
Heading into the season, there was a lot of uncertainty around the Blue Jays. They were coming off a terrible 2024 season where they finished last in the AL East, Guerrero was unsigned, and a once-promising window of contention seemed to have quickly shut. Then, a couple of weeks into the season, the team signed Guerrero to the largest deal in franchise history. Vladdy’s signing excited the fanbase, but it did little to change fans’ expectations for success on the field. It took some time, as the Jays were not playing well for the first couple of months in the season, but they got hot in June, snatched the division from the Yankees in July, and never looked back.
What has made this team so exciting to watch is the fact that they have won in a myriad of ways, with contributions from everyone in the lineup. Bo and Vladdy performed exceptionally, Kirk and Springer had incredible bounce back seasons after a couple of down years, and guys like Clement, Barger, and Lukes – guys who you never would’ve expected – have had big time moments.
They held off the Yankees down the stretch to win their first division title in 10 years and claimed the top seed in the American League. As they celebrated in the clubhouse, one message rang clear: “the job’s not done.” Winning the division was just the first step toward achieving a much larger goal. The team looked poised to make a deep postseason run, something they haven’t been able to accomplish the last three times they made the playoffs.
With each playoff win, the confidence and excitement around the team grew. Seemingly every player has had an impactful moment to help win a game, and we’ve been able to witness some memorable performances. Ernie Clement, a name few expected to dominate October, has been nothing short of clutch, batting .429 with 18 hits and 10 runs scored. Jeff Hoffman has pitched dominantly in the entire postseason, and helped secure the Jays’ victories over the Mariners in the must-win Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS. After just three starts in the regular season, 22-year-old Trey Yesavage threw 5.1 innings of no-hit baseball against the Yankees in his postseason debut. And Vladdy has hit a record 6 homeruns, the most ever by a Blue Jay in a single postseason, and is tied for the most postseason homeruns with José Bautista and Joe Carter.
With a season filled with so many highs and lows, the players always believed in one another and their abilities. They described themselves as gritty and resilient, and they’ve demonstrated that grit and resilience all season long. They led all of MLB in comeback-wins this year, so it’s only fitting that after losing the first two games of the ALCS, and being down 3-1 in Game 7, they would pull off the biggest comeback of the season en route to the World Series. As champagne sprayed in Toronto on Monday night, one familiar phrase continued to echo in the Blue Jays clubhouse: “the job’s not done.”