FIELD OF DREAMS

How the Toronto Blue Jays defied the odds by making it all the way to the World Series - and why we all fell in love with their passion, humour and heart

- REPORT: AMY BIELBY

They may have lost the World Series - but they won hearts around the world.

Fans laughed, cheered and, yes, cried alongside the Toronto Blue Jays all season long, falling for a group of guys who were never supposed to be contenders.

And everyone loves an underdog story.

After the Jays finished last in the American League in 2024, expectations were modest for Major League Baseball's only Canadian team. But as the summer wore on, the boys in blue refused to follow the script. Game after game, they delivered heart-stopping comebacks, breakout performances from young stars and the kind of grit that reminded fans why they fell in love with baseball in the first place.

Defying all expectations, they battled their way to the World Series all the way to game seven against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, led by double-threat pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani. Few thought the reigning champs would be challenged, but the Blue Jays went blow for blow with L.A., finally falling 5-4 in an 11-inning thriller at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Their defeat was a heartbreak that felt shared across the country, especially as it marked the Jays' first World Series appearance since the team's storied back-to-back wins in 1992 and 1993.

After the final out was called, with 18.5 million fans watching from coast to coast, superstar first baseman Vladimir “Vladdy” Guerrero Jr., 26, stuck around in the dugout, using his jersey to wipe away tears as he watched the victors celebrate - a touching reminder that even the mightiest athletes can feel the agony of loss.