Jays beat Mariners 4-3 to reach World Series
TORONTO – Comeback wins were a big reason why the Toronto Blue Jays reached the American League Championship Series.
George Springer topped them all with a come-from-behind moment that will go down as one of the biggest homers in franchise history.
Springer hit a go-ahead three-run shot in the seventh inning and closer Jeff Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth to lift the Blue Jays to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
The victory gave Toronto its first AL pennant since 1993 and a berth in the World Series starting Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I knew I had got the guy in from third, which was all I was trying to do,” Springer said in a champagne-soaked locker-room. “And then it went out of the park. I’ll take it.”
With Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Addison Barger in scoring position, Springer’s 384-foot shot came off reliever Eduard Bazardo.
A run-scoring sacrifice fly was a gimme, but the ball kept carrying and just cleared the wall before landing in the first row of seats. It was Springer’s fourth homer of the post-season and 23rd of his playoff career.
“He’s one of the best to do it in the post-season,” Hoffman said. “I’m really happy that he’s on our side.”
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Toronto led the major leagues with 49 comeback wins in the regular season. The Blue Jays needed every one of them, as the head-to-head tiebreaker gave Toronto the East Division crown over New York when both teams finished with 94 victories.
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That gave the Blue Jays a bye past the wild-card round. Toronto then eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS to reach the championship series for the first time since 2016.
After dropping the first two games at home to Seattle, the Blue Jays reeled off four wins in five games to eliminate the Mariners and book their World Series ticket.
“We’re all in it together and it’s what it’s all about,” said Blue Jays pitcher Eric Lauer, as teammates poured beer over his head. “Ahhh, it’s so nice.”
The party was on in the locker-room as players whooped it up for the fourth time this year. A clinched playoff spot, an East title, and an ALDS win preceded the latest celebration.
“We’re all out of beer,” Toronto pitcher Max Scherzer said, before moving on to another cooler. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
There were plenty of suds and champagne bottles nearby as players, coaches and support staff let loose, knowing they were just four wins away from a World Series crown.
Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber and Mariners right-hander George Kirby started the Game 7 matchup but neither hurler made it to the fifth.
Both teams scored a run in the opening frame. Julio Rodriguez hit a solo shot in the third and Cal Raleigh made it 3-1 with a solo homer in the fifth.
The Blue Jays were hitting occasional singles but couldn’t get an extra-base hit.
The sellout crowd of 44,770 came to life in the seventh when Barger drew a leadoff walk and Kiner-Falefa singled. Andres Gimenez advanced them with a sacrifice bunt and waved his arms to get the fans even louder as he trotted back to the dugout.
That set the stage for Springer, who appeared limited at the plate the last two games after taking a pitch off the knee in Game 5.
He turned on a 1-0 sinker for a blast that’ll go down as an all-timer on a franchise list that includes Joe Carter’s World Series walkoff in 1993, Jose Bautista’s bat flip in 2015, Roberto Alomar’s shot in Oakland in 1992 and Edwin Encarnacion’s wild-card walkoff in 2016.
A wide-eyed Springer watched it for a few seconds, unsure of whether it had the distance. The rest of his run around the bases was a blur.
“I blacked out,” he said with a chuckle.
Next up for Canada’s lone big-league team is a showdown with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers.
“We know they’re a great team and I know we’re a great team — built differently,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “But man, I can’t wait to go toe to toe with them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors exercised the fourth-year team option on the rookie contract of guard-forward Gradey Dick and the third-year team option on the rookie contract of guard Ja’Kobe Walter, the NBA team announced Tuesday.
Both players are now signed through the 2026-27 season.
Dick, who is six-foot-seven and 209 pounds, averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 29.4 minutes in 54 games (all starts) last season.
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The player from Wichita, Kan., was picked 13th overall by the Raptors in 2023 NBA draft. He is averaging 11.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 25.0 minutes in 114 career NBA games (71 starts).
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Walter, six-foot-four and 201 pounds, averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 21.2 minutes in 52 games (18 starts) as a rookie last season.
The guard from McKinney, Texas, was picked 19th overall by the Raptors in the 2024 draft.
The Raptors open their 2025-26 season Wednesday in Atlanta.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Morgan Rielly says conversations inside the Maple Leafs’ locker room Tuesday morning were similar to the ones happening around kitchen tables and water coolers across Canada.
Non-stop Blue Jays talk.
Toronto’s baseball team advanced to the World Series in dramatic fashion Monday night with a spine-tingling, hair-raising 4-3 victory in Game 7 over the Seattle Mariners.
And like many fans in the city and across the country, the Leafs were watching.
“Pretty cool,” Rielly said. “Amazing to see the support that they’re getting.”
Jays slugger George Springer — hobbled after getting struck in the knee by a pitch in Game 5 — smoked a three-run home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to turn a two-run deficit into a one-run lead inside an incandescent Rogers Centre.
“I think I hit the ceiling,” said Leafs winger Max Domi, who tuned in from his couch.
Toronto trailed Seattle 2-0 in the American League Championship Series after losing the first two games at home. The Jays then returned to their turf down 3-2 and then trailed Game 7 with eight outs to go before clinching the franchise’s first World Series trip since winning the second of back-to-back titles in 1993.
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“The emotion of the game, just the team camaraderie,” Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of what he’s seen from afar. “They’re a very tight group. It’s very visible.”
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Rielly said there are lessons to take from a collection of baseball players making memories just up the road from Scotiabank Arena.
“There’s a small part of you that’s envious of them, right?” he said. “You’re almost jealous at what they’re doing, just because they’re in Toronto and we watch it first-hand. You’re obviously happy for them. It’s a great moment for the city, but we want to be able to do that and have a run like that.
“You look at the passion that they’re playing with, and that’s contagious. You want to be able to also bring that when your time comes.”
Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev pointed to the importance of smaller moments in Monday’s comeback, including a sacrifice bunt from Andres Gimenez that advanced two runners right before Springer’s blast, as keys for any club with title aspirations.
“There’s so many little things that go into the success,” said the Toronto native. “A lot of little things that maybe people don’t talk about, but that you can watch and pick up and see a great team doing the things that they need to win.”
Jays first baseman and ALCS most valuable player Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore an Auston Matthews jersey on his way into the ballpark ahead of Game 7.
“That was pretty cool,” Tanev said of the Leafs captain’s threads being on full display. “It’s impressive to see the city rallying behind them.”
“We’re a sports town,” Domi added. “Everyone in here is rooting for the Jays.”
Berube said he’s paid close attention to the larger-than-life Guerrero and the tone he sets.
“How he interacts with the guys, how much energy he brings all the time — happiness for his teammates when they do something well,” said the NHL coach, who has previously met Jays manager John Schneider and members of his staff. “He’s got a lot of energy and a lot of positive vibes around him. He’s their main guy. He just brings that.
“Their whole team feeds off it.”
Domi said the Jays’ sense of brotherhood is something that will stick with him.
“Listening to each guy’s interviews is really cool for me as an athlete on a team to see how much they love each other,” he said. “They’ve got the skill, they’ve got the talent, they’ve got everything, but they all seem to think the most important thing was how tight they were.”
Guerrero, in particular, was emotional after leading Toronto back to the World Series for the first time in 32 years.
“It’s inspiring,” Domi said. “You’ve got chills. If you don’t, you’re missing a heart beat.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
General Motors says it is ending production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van in Ingersoll, Ont.
The company says the decision is related to low demand for the product, and it won’t be moved elsewhere.
GM halted production at its CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll in April but it was slated to restart in November with a single shift.
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There were about 1,200 unionized workers at the plant before production was suspended earlier this year.
The company says the electric delivery van market has developed much slower than expected, and that the changing regulatory environment and end of tax credits in the United States made the business even more challenging.
The CAMI plant was the first full-scale electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Canada and received funding from both the federal and Ontario governments.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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