Six former Blue Jays players are in the World Series
As has been the case every year since 1995, Toronto Blue Jays fans will be watching the World Series without their team in it.
But while fans wouldn’t have had anyone in particular to cheer for in many of those years, that probably won’t be the case this go around when the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers face off beginning Friday.
It’s set to be one of the most anticipated World Series matchups ever, due in no small part to the major markets and stars on either side. And while both teams are among baseball’s most cheered-against, there are plenty of Blue Jays ties to both teams.
Of course, Toronto was a possible option for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, but a few of his teammates actually played for Toronto.
Teoscar Hernandez and Kevin Kiermaier, though they didn’t play together, were both fan favourites in their time in Toronto’s outfield. Hernández is batting .200 with eight hits, two home runs, eight RBIs, and seven runs scored in 11 games for the Dodgers in the 2024 postseason, while Kiermaier has gone o-for-2 in two at-bats, mostly being used as a defensive replacement in four playoff games.
There’s also a pair of bullpen arms on the Dodgers with ties to the Blue Jays. Anthony Banda and Daniel Hudson both spent some time with the team in 2022 and 2019, respectively. Banda has put up a 1.59 ERA in six appearances across 5.2 innings in the playoffs this year, while Hudson has five appearances of 4.1 innings where he’s put up a 2.08 ERA.
In New York, a few more Toronto organization staples will be suiting up for the Yankees.
The most notable face is starting Marcus Stroman, though he’s been left off the Yankees roster for each of the first two playoff series thus far and will probably be held out of the World Series. Tim Mayza, who was designated for assignment for the Blue Jays earlier this year after 352 appearances for Toronto, pitched 0.2 innings in one appearance against Cleveland in the ALCS.
Game 1 of the World Series will be played Friday night in Los Angeles. The first pitch is set for 8:08 pm ET/5:05 pm PT.
Toronto, meanwhile, has yet to appear in the Fall Classic since 1993, when Joe Carter’s iconic walk-off home run gave the city its last MLB title. The following year, the World Series (and the entire season from mid-August onwards) was called off due to a players’ strike, so we’ll never know if Toronto would’ve three-peated and potentially created an all-time great dynasty.
- You might also like:
- Blue Jays pitcher Gausman says "heartbreak" motivates World Series goal