MONTREAL — After a 32-year drought, the Toronto Blue Jays found themselves at the World Series and it is safe to say that they thrilled baseball fans across the country, and even more: the team from the Queen City became during the two weeks of the Major Baseball final series a subject of discussion beyond the framework of sport.
Here’s a look at the past season in the MLB.
Jays just short
On April 29, the Blue Jays had just suffered a 10-2 beating at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, their eighth loss in nine games, to slip to 13-16, in fourth place in the American League East. The name of manager John Schneider was one of the favorites among those likely to lose their jobs with the various sports betting sites. The same Schneider, with practically the same squad, turned the tide.
The Jays won 81 of the next 133 games to finish the season at 94-68, the best record in the American, atop the East, edging the New York Yankees on the tiebreaker.
Led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – imperial in the playoffs, with offensive averages of 397/.494/.795, five doubles, eight home runs, 15 RBIs and 20 walks, including six intentional, after signing a 14-year, US$500 million contract -, the Jays eliminated the Yankees in the division series and the Seattle Mariners in the championship series, where Vlad was also elected the player par excellence.
But in the World Series, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team came up short. Up 3-2 in the series and with the final two games played in Toronto, the Jays were unable to bring the Commissioner’s Trophy north of the border.
It remains to be seen whether the team will be able to experience the same success in 2026, especially since at the time of writing, Bo Bichette and veteran Max Scherzer are free agents. The team, however, secured the services of starter Dylan Cease for the next seven years for $210 million and right-hander Cody Ponce, MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization, South Korea’s major league, for three years.
Title defense
The Dodgers successfully defended their title as World Series champions, becoming the first team since the Yankees dynasty at the end of the last century to achieve the feat.
If we were expecting Shohei Ohtani – far from disappointing with three home runs and five RBIs – it was another Japanese who stole the show, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The right-hander mystified the Jays’ offense by signing three wins in two starts in this World Series. He first pitched his second consecutive complete game in the playoffs, before pitching six innings in Game 6 and two and two-third innings in relief in Game 7 to get the victory.
Yamamoto was deservedly voted the World Series MVP, becoming only the second Japanese to earn the title, after Hideki Matsui of the Yankees in 2009.
However, the Jays led 4-2 with five outs to go in this final meeting. Solo homers from Max Muncy, in the eighth, against young sensation Trey Yesavage, and from Miguel Rojas, after a strikeout in the ninth, against Jeff Hoffman, however, forced overtime.
In the 11th, Will Smith came to throw a cold shower on the Rogers Center, when he propelled the offering of Shane Bieber, a nice acquisition at the trade deadline, far to left field to give the victory to the Californians.
Ohtani & Judge
For the second year in a row, Ohtani and Aaron Judge were voted the National and American MVPs — a third title in a row for Ohtani, and a third in four seasons for Judge.
Both players presented statistics that left no doubt about their selection, although the race in the American was tighter with the 60 home runs of Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.
Ohtani maintained averages of ‚282/.392/.622 with 55 home runs (second highest total in the National) and 102 RBIs. Judge, for his part, presented the best “slashline” in the Majors at .331/.457/.688. His adjusted attendance/power average (OPS+) of 215 was the fourth best in major league history for a right-handed hitter, after hitting the best (225) last season.
In Ohtani’s case, this is his fourth MVP award: two with the Dodgers, two with the Los Angeles Angels. All four were obtained unanimously.
Mixed season for Quebecers
The last campaign was not easy for Quebecers in Major Baseball, where only Otto Lopez, of the Miami Marlins, still has a regular position.
And Lopez doesn’t appear to be about to lose that job after an excellent sophomore campaign with the Marlins. Used mainly at shortstop in the 143 games he played, he maintained averages of .246/.305/.368. He also set personal highs in hits (134), home runs (15), RBIs (77) and runs scored (66), while maintaining a .977 save percentage on defense.
On the other hand, both Édouard Julien, in Minnesota, and Abraham Toro, in Boston, were unable to establish themselves permanently in the big leagues this season.
Julien has only been used in 64 games by the Twins and, even if he has increased his averages (.220/.309/.324) compared to last year, one wonders if it will be enough for him to keep his place within the 40-man roster of the Massachusetts team by the start of training camps.
Toro had a great training camp and when the Red Sox struggled with injuries, he was one of the first recalled in early May. After a promising start, his production declined and he finished his time in the MLB in August, with averages of .239/.289/.371 in 77 games.
Time for the ladies!
Baseball followed in the footsteps of other major sports with the creation of a first professional women’s league, the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL), where Quebecers are already in the spotlight.
The first four teams on the new circuit — Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco — recently held their first draft session, consisting of six rounds, during which each club drafted five players, for 20 per round and 120 in total.
Of this number, five come from Quebec, including the very first Quebecer drafted, first baseman Andréanne Leblanc, from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, 32nd overall, by the San Francisco club. The others are Maïka Dumais (Boston), Ela Day-Bédard (San Francisco), Élodie Ciamarro (New York) and Sarah Beaulieu (New York).
Of the 30 players drafted by the four clubs, 15 will obtain a contract to play the inaugural season, which will be held over seven weeks, including playoffs, in a neutral site, at Robin-Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The season will begin in August 2026.
