The stunning success of the Toronto Blue Jays to overcome incredible odds and hoist themselves into a league of their own, at least in the eyes of many Canadian baseball fans, has been nothing short of remarkable.
But the storied franchise has been here before. The Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, first against the Atlantic Braves, then the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ironically, as the team takes home field Friday for Game 1 of this World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they’ll be looking to upset a team that is batting to score back-to-back championships of its own.
But a Blue Jays victory on the world stage would certainly be celebrated from coast to coast — or would it?
The ‘X’ factor
For Montreal Expo fans, seeing a Canadian club make it to the World Series is a bittersweet moment.
Peter McStravick was born and raised in Ottawa and calls himself a lifelong Expos fan. He was in the stands on Sept. 29, 2004, as the team played its final game at the Olympic Stadium before a hometown crowd, where it suffered a a 9-1 loss to the Florida Marlins.
And he was at Shea Stadium in Queens, N.Y., days later for the team’s final game against the Mets, where the Expos once again came up short 8-1.
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“The Expos were Canada’s first team and we’ll always wonder whether they could have made it to the World Series in 1994, had there not been a strike,” he said.
But McStravick says he’s team Blue Jays all the way as they make another World Series run.
“Absolutely cheering for the Blue Jays. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a nice link to the Expos, having been born in Montreal when his dad played for the team. So it feels like there’s a part of the Expos in attendance at the World Series,” he said.
A storied legacy
The Montreal Expos weren’t just Canada’s first major league baseball team — they were part of the city’s heartbeat.
Founded in 1969, the Expos were named after Expo 67, the world’s fair that had electrified Montreal just two years earlier. They started out in Jarry Park,in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension. The team moved to the Olympic Stadium in 1977.
The Expos never won a World Series, but they came achingly close. In 1981, they made the playoffs. In 1994, they were the best team in baseball. Period.
A young, electric roster led by Larry Walker, Moisés Alou, Pedro Martinez, and Marquis Grissom was poised for greatness — until the MLB players’ strike killed the season, and with it, what many still believe was Montreal’s best shot at a title.
Though separated by league and geography, the Expos and Toronto Blue Jays shared a quiet but persistent rivalry. When interleague play began in 1997, the matchups became real and were often viewed as cultural showdowns between Quebec and Ontario, French and English, old-school and modern.
By the early 2000s, ownership uncertainty, poor attendance, and MLB’s awkward stewardship of the franchise painted a grim picture.
The team split home games with San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2003. The end felt near. They moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Nationals in 2005.
All eyes on the Jays
Rookie Trey Yesavage’s improbable season continues Friday when he gets the start for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series.
The 22-year-old right-hander, who played at every level of the Blue Jays’ system this year before making a name for himself in the major leagues, will now be tasked with shutting down Shohei Ohtani and the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yesavage is 2-1 with a 4.20 earned-run average and 22 strikeouts in three post-season starts.
Left-hander Blake Snell goes for Los Angeles, looking to improve on his 3-0 post-season record.
The Blue Jays bring a relentless offence into the series, led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The star first-baseman is hitting .442 in the post-season with six homers and 12 runs batted in.
The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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