As the Blue Jays gear up to host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series Friday night, fans across Canada are buzzing with excitement in the hopes of seeing Toronto take home the championship title for the first time in more than 30 years.
Monday night saw Toronto clinch a World Series berth in a nail-biter Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners. A go-ahead three-run homer by George Springer led the Jays to a 4-3 win, securing Toronto's matchup against the defending champion Dodgers in the Fall Classic.
The Blue Jays last appeared in the World Series in 1993, a fact well known to the thousands of fans who poured into the city streets Monday night to the sound of car honks, whistles and chants as they celebrated the clinching game.
Prime Minister Mark Carney went to Rogers Centre on Thursday to watch the Jays take batting practice. He told reporters he's predicting Toronto will win in six games.
“There are Blue Jays fans across the nation. The whole country is behind this team," he said to reporters.
Single-game tickets for the World Series went on sale Tuesday and sold out in about an hour. As of Thursday, the cheapest Game 1 resale ticket for general admission was more than $1,000 on Ticketmaster.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the steep price is why he'll be cheering on the Blue Jays from home, and he also expects the Jays to win in six games.
"I'm gonna be sitting in my man cave because I'm not paying, whatever, 1,500 bucks for a ticket," Ford said at an unrelated press conference Thursday. "By the way, those ticket gougers, they're gonna pay the price, we're gonna get to them."
Ticketmaster said in a statement that it doesn’t set or control World Series ticket prices, "and especially not the resale prices that are justifiably getting so much attention."
Toronto police have said fans can expect to see "an increased and visible police presence both inside and outside Rogers Centre" as the World Series gets underway.
For those who can't secure a spot inside the ballpark, the City of Toronto will host free public viewing parties at Nathan Phillips Square for all Blue Jays home games.
"These viewing parties are more than just game nights, they bring Torontonians together in a shared space to celebrate our home team, showcase our city’s incredible spirit and support local businesses as fans gather downtown before and after the game," the city said in a statement.
The Jays have also announced that while the team is in Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4, fans can purchase $15 tickets to watch the broadcast at Rogers Centre, with proceeds going to the Jays Care Foundation.
"Fans can expect the energy of a live game, complete with fanfare, free popcorn, ballpark concessions, and access to Jays Shop – all while cheering on the team together in the home of the Toronto Blue Jays," the team said in a press release.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters Friday that she had made a bet with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that the mayor of the losing team's city would cycle the distance of the number of runs the winning team gets.
"I am so confident that I said to her she can do it in kilometres and I'll do it in miles," she said.
The Toronto Transit Commission said Thursday that it will add extra subway service this weekend to help fans get to the Rogers Centre and viewing parties across the city. There will be six more trains on Line 1 and three more on Line 2, it said, with no planned closures.
At a press conference Thursday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he sees the series as the "two best teams left standing."
"There's a reason we're here, and there's a reason they're there," Schneider said. "I got all the confidence in the world in my guys."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor
