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Toronto Blue Jays playoff run getting artistic treatment from popular social media account

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Oct 17 2025, 9:12 pm
Toronto Blue Jays playoff run getting artistic treatment from popular social media account
Toronto Blue Jays | @ArtButSports/X

The Toronto Blue Jays have had several iconic moments during the 2025 playoffs, many of which are being compared to iconic works of art.

LJ Rader, the creator of a social media phenomenon known as ArtButMakeItSports, has gained a ton of popularity in the sporting world over the years by comparing epic sports photos with works of art. He’s amassed over 600,000 followers on X thanks to his unique work.

“I turn Art into Sports (and vice versa),” his bio on X reads. He also makes sure to let his followers know that no AI is used when it comes to searching for art to match the sports photos. Instead, they are all photos that he has come across and taken pictures of himself.

Rader’s most recent work saw him compare a fiery Max Scherzer on Thursday night to a sculpture created by Gustav Vigeland in 1928, which he called The Angry Boy.

Rader also used another picture of Scherzer from Game 4, which saw the Blue Jays pitcher looking out towards the mound from the dugout. Rader compared it to a self-portrait from Kazimir Malevich in the early 1900s. If you sit far enough back, Malevich appears to have two separate coloured eyes similar to Scherzer.

As Blue Jays fans have become well accustomed to, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will always put a finger to his lips after smacking a home run. After the Jays eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS, he was spotted doing it on the field. This inspired Rader to compare a photo taken of Vlad with The Silence,Ā a picture painted by Joseph Ducreux in 1790.

The last, and perhaps best comparison we will cover in this article, involves another epic moment from Guerrero. In Game 3 of the ALDS versus the Yankees, he had a fantastic effort, which saw him leap in the air to beat out a throw at home plate. The still frame got a lot of attention and was only discussed more when Rader paired it with Duchamp Flies, a photo painted by Carmen Cicero in 2009.

With a win on Thursday night, the Jays are guaranteed to have at least two games remaining this season, and are also just two wins away from advancing to the World Series. Regardless of the outcome of the ALCS, fans should expect to see some more gems from Rader involving the Jays before the playoffs come to an end.

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