After two commanding wins in the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees over the weekend, Toronto Blue Jays fans are rallying behind a surging team with its sights set on a championship.
Jays super fans and self-proclaimed Loonie Dog Kings Jody Matheson and Ryan Rushton, known for eating hundreds of hot dogs at games this season, said they were elated after the team’s wins.
“That’s the way the Jays needed to start this series — not just winning two but in such commanding fashion. It was beautiful,” Rushton said on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Monday.
Matheson said he was especially happy that pitcher Trey Yesavage is getting the recognition he deserves after being severely underestimated by opposing fans.
“Boy, did they get an awakening when he started dropping all those strikes and setting a new record,” he said.
Yesavage set a franchise record Sunday, striking out 11 batters in just over five hitless and scoreless innings in a 13-7 win over the visiting Yankees in Game 2. The series continues in New York for Game 3 on Tuesday.
Matheson said going to Jays games feels like being part of a community of 40,000 people.
“So many fans and friends that have become a part of this throughout the years and it’s just been a great time,” he said.
Jays managers calls fan support a ‘competitive advantage’
The team is noticing how much its fanbase is rallying behind these players, too. For the 22-year-old Yesavage, that moment came during a standing ovation at Rogers Centre.
“It’s something I never felt before, the energy and the passion that this fan base has,” he said.
Manager John Schneider also thanked the fans for their continued support during the season.
“It’s a tough place for people to come in and play,” Schneider said. “When you … have that competitive advantage, [it] feels really good, so for the fans, I say thank you.”
Fresh Air11:28Two Blue Jays fans discuss their team’s successful season
The Jays won last night during the first round of the playoff season. Diehard Jays fans Asher Mercer and Neil Jansen tell us about their hopes for Game 2, as the Jays prepare to face the New York Yankees.
Speaking on CBC Radio’s Fresh Air after the Blue Jays first dispatched the Yankees by a score of 10-1 on Saturday, fans Asher Mercer and Neil Jansen said their faith in the team goes way back.
Jansen said he grew up in Montreal as an Expos fan – but after a 2004 move to Washington, his fandom shifted to the Jays. That love only grew after he won a car in a Jays 50/50 rally during the pandemic, he said.
“When the team gives you a car, that will kind of solidify your fandom,” Jansen said jokingly.
For Mercer, his Jays love started on Labour Day 1985, when his dad took him to see the Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians.
“The amazing thing about baseball, especially down the stretches, is that there is a game on every night,” Mercer said. “There’s always something to be excited about, things change every single day.”
The two met each other on social media, where they have been able to find a sizable community to watch the Jays together.
“We have people from coast to coast in this group chat,” said Jansen. “To be able to forge, even though they are mostly digital, meaningful relationships – it’s great.”
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