Last to first and more: How the Blue Jays were Canada's undisputed team of the year

The Canada Day celebrations at Rogers Centre are always a highlight of the Blue Jays season, wherever the team may be heading results wise, wherever they may reside in the American League East standings.

There’s something about unfurling the massive Maple Leaf that covers most of the Rogers Centre outfield that resonates with both the team wearing red and white for a day and the fan base spilling with patriotic pride.

Who knew that super-sized flag would become a regular visitor to the Toronto Stadium three months later in an October for the ages for this country’s lone Major League Baseball team?

It certainly isn’t a stretch to suggest that the July 1 contest against the despised New York Yankees was the true genesis of the team’s incredible run, one that took them all the way to the heartbreaking end of the 11th inning in Game 7 of the World Series.

Yes, in many ways the magic really did begin to unfold with a four-game sweep over the Yankees, a series that propelled the Jays past the Bronx Bombers and into first place in the AL East, a perch they would remain for the remainder of the season.

A pair of home runs from George Springer that day – and how was that for being emblematic of the Jays success in 2025? – led the way in a 12-5 victory that electrified the patriotic gathering of 41,129 on a brilliant Canada Day afternoon.

A brief wobble in September aside, the Jays never looked back in a season and playoffs that captivated a nation and elevated the Jays status in the sport. Despite the near miss in that incredible World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays were then the obvious and unanimous pick as Postmedia’s team of the year.

The reasons for the love-in for vast and plentiful. Among them:

Surprise, surprise

Any time a team goes from last to first in any sport, the wonderment attached resonates deeply with all involved – from fans, to players, to management and even to ownership.

That the Jays went from 74 wins to 94 in one season re-ignited the passion for a team that had seemingly lost its way. The way it happened though, was part of the magic.

There was Springer’s renaissance season, leading the offence a year after dragging it down.

There were the unheralded guys – Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes and more – all contributing in significant ways and becoming fan favourites in the process.

There was Vlad Guerrero Jr., signing that $500 million extension in April, having a so-so regular season (by his standards) than putting the superstar cape to dazzle when it mattered most, in the playoffs that saw him being named ALCS MVP while hitting eight postseason runs in total.

There was rookie sensation Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old who matriculated through all four levels of minor league ball, to making his big league debut in September to arguably being the most important starting arm in the playoffs.

There was all that and so much more on a team that seemed to love each other as much as their supporters – who filled the Rogers Centre from July 1 on and set TV ratings records throughout – adored them.

All for one, one for all

By the time the Jays reached the Fall Classic and the date with the reigning champion Dodgers, it was starting to sound like a worn out storyline, about this tight group of players that believed in each other so devoutly that they didn’t want it to end.

The thing is, the sentiment was real. It was a strong clubhouse that spilled onto the field, a mindset rooted in spring training when manager John Schneider stressed his WIN (What’s Important Now) mantra of each player doing the little things to support the collective.

“You get to play with 30 of your best friends, and I don’t think that happens every year,” Clement said by way of describing what made this group go prior to Game 7 of the World Series. “So you don’t ant it to end. It’s one last game with my favourite team I’ve ever been a part of.

“Win or lose, it’s been a hell of year.”

That it was.

History in the making

The near-miss, in a mix of exhilarating, excruciating Game 7 drama – couldn’t dull an historic season for a Jays team that won the American League pennant for just the third time in franchise history.

In doing so, they joined the victorious 1992 and 1993 versions as the only teams to advance to the World Series.

With a 94-68 record, these Jays went from last to first for the first time in franchise history, becoming the first MLB team to do so since the 2016 Boston Red Sox. The 94 wins were the Jays most in a season since 1993 as they had the best record in the AL for just the fourth time in their existence.

The AL East crown, meanwhile, was the first for the Jays since 2015 and just the seventh time in club history.

More to come?

A year ago, the narrative around the Jays was how to recover from the last-place debacle and whose jobs would be on the line if the ignominious results continued.

Now, the Blue Jays are seemingly the darlings of MLB, a desired destination for free agents and a franchise many expect to be a force going forward.

Atkins and the front office – backed by ownership money from Rogers – have been the most aggressive team this offseason in the latest bid to make it happen. It’s the nature of the sport that there are no guarantees but there is certainly some hope that momentum will help the Jays repeat in what figures to be a tougher version of the AL East in 2026.

“I think you have to kind of take a step back and reflect on what we’ve done, not just from a win-loss record or where we are in Game 7 of the World Series, but how we did it and the things we got better at,” manager John Schneider said prior to that Nov. 1 finale for the ages. “We’ve raised the standard and expectation of this organization a hell of a lot this year.”