It’s been a few days since the Blue Jays suffered a devastating loss in Game 7 of the World Series, and many fans are still trying to process and accept what took place on the weekend. I know that’s been the case for yours truly, and while I’ve mostly avoided social media for the sake of my sanity, I know that I’m not alone in feeling this way even without doomscrolling for hours on end.

That said, life must go on, and as much as I’d like to pout about what happened on Saturday night for the next few months, that’s not going to change anything. Yes, it’s just a game at the end of the day, but we’re all going to grieve something like that at a different pace, and to passionate Blue Jays fans, this might be the most heartbreaking loss we’ll witness in our lifetimes. It’s certainly the biggest backbreaker in franchise history.

What I’ve found particularly interesting over the last few days is my developing understanding of the different levels of Blue Jays fandom. I’ve always been aware of the hardcore community that follows every pitch, and I’m not surprised that they’re struggling with all of this. At the same time, I’ve been following and covering this team long enough that I’ve seen what happens when the Jays make a playoff run, and inevitably the bandwagon is overflowing with Canadians who are more than happy to cheer for the only MLB team north of the border as they chase a championship (and for the record, they’re always more than welcome). What I didn’t necessarily think about was the difference in understanding between these two groups, and how that would impact their respective abilities to get over a soul-crushing outcome.

I say this with all due respect, and in some ways, a great deal of envy: I don’t know that a significant number of Blue Jays fans understand just how big a gut punch that Game 7 really was. To be fair, anyone who was watching that game can understand how close they came to World Series glory and just how painful the outcome of that series was, but I’m not sure the full context would be clear unless you’re one of those die-hard, year-round fans I mentioned earlier. I’m not looking to pick on any level of baseball fan with these comments either, but if reports are true that almost half of Canada tuned in for some or all of Game 7 on Saturday night, then I think it’s fair to say there were a lot of relatively new fans watching. Even for someone like me who has covered the Jays for most of the last decade, I’ll admit that I’m still processing what happened as of this writing on Tuesday evening, and I’ve had nearly 48 hours to stew on it.

When a friend who isn’t really a baseball fan asked me Monday afternoon, “Why are you still upset?”, I started trying to explain it and realized that there are several angles to this whole thing. With that in mind, I thought it might be a useful exercise to try and put it into words. This may be for the fair-weather fans that jumped on the playoff bandwagon, the die-hard Jays fan that’s still trying to move through the stages of grief, or, I must admit, maybe it’s mostly for me so I can fully accept it myself.

I figured I’d start with something quite simple, but what might be the most powerful element of all. This was arguably the most likable Blue Jays team in franchise history.

I’m sure some long-time fans would disagree with that statement, but I’m also confident that many others would emphatically agree. I had the good fortune of being 8-9 years old when the Blue Jays won their two World Series titles in the 90’s, and there’s no doubt that it was the catalyst for a lifelong obsession. I grew up watching those Blue Jays teams with my Dad, and Joe Carter was my hero long before he hit that infamous walk-off home run to seal their second championship. I still wear #29 to this day when I play recreational sports. I loved those teams then, and I still do.

However, last week I told one of my closest baseball buddies that I think the 2025 squad is now my favourite Blue Jays team of all time, and despite the bitter ending on the weekend, I feel the same way a few days later. They were incredibly easy to cheer for because of the way they left it all out on the diamond every day, and hearing their post-game interviews on Saturday night only reinforced that feeling even more. They played the game the right way, consistently gave every ounce of effort they could offer, and it was crystal clear that this was a selfless group that loved and supported each other, all working toward a common goal. That much was obvious as the tear-filled interviews dominated TV screens on Saturday and Sunday, but those of us who have watched this team all year already had a pretty good idea of what a tight-knit group we were rooting for.

They exceeded expectations all season long, and several new folk heroes were born, even if their legends won’t be quite as great without a championship. The vast majority of the roster will be back for another run at glory in 2026, but this team was very special on multiple levels, and it feels cruel that they didn’t get the kind of storybook ending they deserved.

As Sportsnet analyst and former MLB catcher Caleb Joseph said on Saturday night, “you feel like the baseball gods got it wrong this time, and they usually don’t“.

The reason I’ve tried to avoid sports highlight shows and social media over the last few days is that I can barely stomach thinking about just how close the Blue Jays came to finishing off the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. And not only that, but also the sheer volume of opportunities they had to throw that knockout punch.

There was Game 6, when the Blue Jays had a 3-2 series lead and held the Dodgers to just four hits. The Barger rocket that inexplicably landed in the exact spot it had to in order to be capped as a ground rule double, stopping Myles Straw from scoring and making the game 3-2 and leaving Barger on second base with nobody out. There was the line drive off the bat of Andres Gimenez that looked like a game-typing single, but Enrique Hernandez was playing shallow enough to not only catch the ball, but also double off Barger at second base after he made an aggressive break, ending Game 6 when it looked like the Blue Jays were on the cusp of making history.

There was a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7, before a hanging slider from Jeff Hoffman was deposited in the left field seats, sending the game to extra innings. There was the Isaiah Kiner-Falefa safety lead from third base that resulted in his tying run being thrown out at the plate by mere inches. There was Ernie Clement’s drive to left field that looked like it would drop beyond Hernandez’s reach, only for Andy Pages to save the day. Alejandro Kirk had multiple opportunities to finish the job with runners in scoring position, but broken bats and strong defensive plays from the Dodgers kept them one step away from a different outcome. Dalton Varsho couldn’t buy a hit with runners in scoring position.

I could go on and on, and probably list at least 20 different plays that could have changed the outcome of that series over the last two games alone. At the end, it felt like the baseball gods were just toying with us, and every time it looked like the Jays may finally cross the finish line, there was another lap on the track, with another heartbreak waiting around the corner.

One of the oldest cliches you’ll hear in sports is, “there’s always next year”, but that hardly offers much solace when a significant loss is still fresh.

While there is certainly some truth to it, there’s also the reality that it’s far easier said than done. I do not doubt that the Blue Jays will return as a competitive team in 2026, especially because the majority of their roster will be back next season. However, there are no guarantees that they’ll get the same kind of production from their roster, that key players will stay healthy, or that they’ll experience the same playoff magic they did this time around when they went through a gauntlet of tough competitors to get to the Fall Classic.

That’s not to suggest that the Jays can’t come out of the American League as pennant winners again, but they’re going to have to get through 14 other hungry teams, including the talented Mariner and Yankee rosters that they dispatched in October. Before they even worry about getting through 2-3 rounds of playoffs, they’ll first have to qualify, which is no small task when you’re stationed in the AL East. The Yankees will be back as one of the favourites in 2026, and you can all but guarantee that there will be improvements from each of the Red Sox, Orioles, and Rays.

Even if the Blue Jays can repeat as AL pennant winners, they’ll have to find a way to put the Dodgers back in the vulnerable position they had them in just a few days ago, when they were one win, nay, two outs away from finishing the job. The Dodgers will still be a Super Team in 2026 and beyond, and if you think they’ll sit quietly on the sidelines over the winter and be happy with the status quo, you haven’t been paying attention for the last few years. And if it’s not the Dodgers back in the World Series again next year, it’ll be a team that was good enough to send them home early.

All that said, can the Blue Jays get back to the World Series and avenge their devastating loss in 2025? Of course, they can, and I’m confident that they’ll be among the handful of true contenders next season. However, it’s also possible that this is the closest that many players on the roster will ever get to winning a championship ring. Those of us who waited 32 years to see the Jays back in the World Series are intimately familiar with just how rare and special a run like this can be.

This element of the whole thing isn’t the most significant, but I saw it as the cherry on top of beating the Dodgers in the World Series.

Two years ago, Blue Jays fans had the rug pulled out from under them when we were told Shohei Ohtani was coming to Toronto, only for him to end up in Los Angeles. A year ago, it looked like Atkins and his team were going to win the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, but once again, the Dodgers added yet another potential premium weapon to an already stacked roster.

This year’s World Series was a chance to show the world that those two players made the wrong decision by choosing the Super Team, and an opportunity to avenge Blue Jays fans who felt used and abused over the last two off-seasons. Instead, the Dodgers got the last laugh as they so often do, and found a way to disappoint baseball fans north of the border in an even more painful way.

As much as we’d like to see this same group get another chance to finish the job, there are going to be changes to the organization ahead of next season. There won’t be an overhaul by any means, but it’s not realistic to expect the Blue Jays to run it back 100% as they did in 2025.

What does that mean for the futures of starting pitchers like Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer? They both expressed interest in returning next year, now that their respective contracts have expired, and one or both may be re-signed. That said, Ross Atkins and the front office will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to how to spread around their available resources, and they might even look to add a starting pitcher with a higher ceiling than either of those two can offer at this stage of their careers. With Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios still under contract for next season, Atkins and his team will have to weigh the pros and cons of each situation.

What about Shane Bieber? The former Cy Young winner also expressed interest in continuing with the organization that traded for him back in July, but he’s all but guaranteed to opt out of his current contract and test free agency, and it remains to be seen how far the Blue Jays will go to retain him.

Of course, then there’s Bo Bichette, who was drafted by the Blue Jays back in 2016 and has been in the organization ever since, including seven seasons with the big league club. The two-time AL hits leader has publicly stated that he would also like to stay put and, hopefully, spend his entire career in one organization. He’s also said that he would like to continue playing alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr., just as he has for his entire pro career, and the vast majority of the fan base would love to see him get his wish. Have we seen the last of Bichette in a Blue Jays uniform? Only time will tell, but if they can’t bring him back, then it won’t be easy to say goodbye to one of the best homegrown players this organization has ever produced.

Lastly, I can’t help but wonder if Buck Martinez will be back in the booth in 2026, and I wanted nothing more than the Blue Jays to win this title for a former player, manager, current broadcaster, and one of the most beloved figures in the 48 years that this organization has existed. The soon-to-be 77-year-old may return next year to join Dan Shulman in the booth again, but after battling lung cancer and taking a leave of absence earlier in 2025, I’m not sure that’s guaranteed. My money is on Martinez continuing to be one of the voices of the Blue Jays in 2026, but if he does finally have to take a step back into retirement, I can’t help but lament what could have been a perfect sendoff to have a Game 7 World Series win be his swan song.

I could continue, but by now I’m sure you get the point I’m trying to make, and I haven’t come close to covering every angle of disappointment for the Blue Jays and their fan base. As a dear friend said to me on Sunday, even though he’s a die-hard Red Sox fan, “There’s nothing I can even say… that’s about as heartbreaking as it gets”, and I got a similar message from another friend who roots for the Yankees. You know it was a cruel ending to a beautiful story when even Red Sox and Yankee fans are feeling bad for you.

However, there are almost always silver linings to disappointment. In my case, I’ve received a dozen messages from folks across the Blue Jays community to check in and make sure I’m still kickin’. That kind of community is a beautiful thing, and there’s no doubt that it strengthened and grew in size throughout this playoff run. I’m also slowly but surely getting to the place where I can appreciate how special the 2025 season was, even if the final chapter was so devastating. Last but not least, there will be baseball again in just a few months, and you’d better believe that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays will use this bitter experience to fuel their motivation to get back to the World Series and finish the job. Until then, this one is going to sting for a while, and that’s more than understandable.