The World Series will take place this Friday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees set to face off in a matchup of historic proportions in a seven-game series. A handful of former Blue Jays will likely be rostered for the series: Tim Mayza, Jon Berti, Teoscar Hernandez, and Marcus Stroman; all are looking to secure a championship ring for the first time in their respective careers.

Across the Pacific Ocean, another championship series is set to take place in Japan, with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars set to face off in the Japan Series. The winner of the seven-game set will be crowned the champions of Nippon Professional Baseball, with the SoftBank Hawks looking to secure their 12th win while the DeNA BayStars are looking to add their third championship into the trophy case.

Similar to the World Series, the Blue Jays have at least one representative on each team, so at least one former player is walking away a champion. The series is set to begin this Saturday, October 26.

Left-hander Anthony Kay was acquired by the Blue Jays as part of the Marcus Stroman trade package in the summer of 2019 and spent parts of four seasons split between the big leagues and triple-A.

With the Jays, Kay posted a 5.48 ERA through 70 2/3 innings and struggled to carve a spot in either the rotation or the bullpen while riding the options bus for most of the seasons he spent with Toronto. When the Jays signed Chris Bassitt during the 2022/2023 offseason, Kay was designated for assignment.

The southpaw split the 2023 season between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets before turning to Japan for the 2024 campaign, where the 29-year-old has carved out an impressive inaugural campaign with the DeNA BayStars. Through 24 appearances and 136 2/3 innings, Kay has posted a 3.42 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP while striking out 119 batters.

In the previous series (known as the Climax Series), Kay started games #1 and #6 and the team won both games he started, defeating the Yomiuri Giants to advance to the Japan Series. Kay pitched 9 1/3 innings collectively and allowed just three hits and one earned run across both contests while striking out nine batters.

Joining Kay on the DeNA Baystars is North Vancouver, B.C. product and former Blue Jays minor leaguer Rowan Wick. The right-hander owns a 2.60 ERA through 45 innings while working as a middle reliever.

After four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, closer Roberto Osuna was traded to the Houston Astros during the 2018 season after being arrested and subsequently suspended by the MLB for 75 games for violating the league’s policy on domestic assault.

Following parts of three seasons with the Astros, which included a stint on the IL for an ebelow injury, and a quick stint in the Mexican League, Osuna turned to Japan to continue playing professionally. He originally signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines for the 2022 season before signing with the SoftBank Hawks for the 2023 campaign, with the right-hander inking a four-year extension heading into the 2024 campaign.

This season, Osuna authored a 3.76 ERA through 39 appearances while working as the SoftBank Hawks primary closer. Osuna has pitched to a single-season career low 5.4 K/9 and owns a 1.200 WHIP heading into the Japan Series.