From Last Place to National Pride: Blue Jays Crowned Canada’s Team of the Year After a Season That Shook the Country
Just one year ago, uncertainty hung thick over the Toronto Blue Jays’ spring training camp.
February opened with questions instead of confidence. The team was coming off a last-place finish. Its homegrown superstar had yet to sign a long-term deal. Playoff hopes felt fragile at best, unrealistic at worst. Around the league, Toronto was mentioned more as a cautionary tale than a contender.
What a difference a year makes.
On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays were officially named Canada’s Team of the Year by the Canadian Press, a stunning honor that capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern franchise history. The vote — conducted among editors, journalists, and commentators across the country — wasn’t particularly close. The Blue Jays claimed 29 of 53 votes (55%), comfortably ahead of the national women’s curling team led by Rachel Homan.
It wasn’t just about wins. It was about impact.
“The thing that made this season so special,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said, “was seeing how much it impacted, energized, and galvanized the entire country. Every player and every person in this organization felt that pride.”
That sentiment echoed throughout the voting body. As Radio-Canada journalist Olivier Paradis-Lemieux put it, “They may not have won the World Series, but they brought Major League Baseball back to the forefront in Canada in 2025.”
For a franchise that had gone nearly a decade without a postseason win, that statement carries weight.
The turning point came early — and loudly.
In April, the Blue Jays stunned fans and rivals alike by signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a record-setting 14-year, $500 million extension, sending an unmistakable message: Toronto was done hesitating. The move didn’t immediately translate into dominance. The team stumbled out of the gate and faced renewed criticism as expectations ballooned.
But rather than splinter, the roster steadied itself.
Another defining moment arrived at the trade deadline in late July, when general manager Ross Atkins made a daring move to acquire star pitcher Shane Bieber. The gamble paid off. Bieber became a stabilizing force down the stretch and a crucial weapon in October, transforming a good rotation into a dangerous one.
From late June onward, the Blue Jays played to their potential — and then some.
Toronto spent much of the second half of the season atop the standings, eventually overtaking the New York Yankees to win the American League East, even while navigating adversity.
Shortstop Bo Bichette went down with an injury late in the season. Instead of collapsing, the team rallied. Manager John Schneider guided the roster with calm urgency, finding answers at precisely the right time.
Guerrero anchored the lineup. George Springer rebounded from a disappointing previous year. Catcher Alejandro Kirk delivered a standout season, while rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage showed he belonged on the game’s biggest stage.
For the first time since 2016, the Blue Jays didn’t just reach the postseason — they won.
The playoff run felt cinematic.
Toronto’s victory over the Yankees in the AL Division Series reignited a rivalry that had long lacked October stakes. Then came the AL Championship Series against Seattle. After losing the first two games, the Blue Jays clawed back, winning four straight in a comeback that stunned neutral observers.
The defining moment arrived in Game 7, when Springer launched a decisive home run, sending Toronto to its first World Series since 1993.
“They constantly faced elimination,” Shapiro said. “They had to win the final four games of the season after losing one of their best players, and they just kept fighting.”
The World Series itself only deepened the legend.
Facing the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Shohei Ohtani, Toronto pushed the series to its absolute limits. After splitting games in Toronto and surviving an 18-inning loss on the road, the Blue Jays returned home with a 3–2 series lead.
Dodgers resilience ultimately prevailed, forcing a Game 7 and winning in extra innings. It was heartbreak — but not disappointment.
The country had been captured.
“I’ve never seen teammates so invested in one another,” wrote Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno. Television ratings soared. A new generation of Canadian baseball fans joined the fold.
This marks the sixth time in 59 years that the Blue Jays have been named Canadian Press Team of the Year, but few felt as symbolic as this one.
“I’ve never seen a group so grateful, confident, and genuinely enjoying playing together,” Shapiro said. “That’s a competitive advantage in a 162-game season.”
In a year where swimmer Summer McIntosh and NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also claimed individual honors, the Blue Jays stood out as something rarer: a team that united a nation.
They didn’t finish the story the way they dreamed.
But in 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays reminded Canada — and the baseball world — exactly what belief looks like when it finally pays off.
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