Blue Jays Fans Stay Hopeful After Tough 9-6 Loss to Yankees
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By Harry Kettle
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Summary:
- The Toronto Blue Jays blew a 6–1 lead and lost 9–6 to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.
- A win in Game 4 would send the Jays to their first ALCS since 2016.
- Fans remain optimistic after the team’s dramatic turnaround from last season’s last-place finish.
The Toronto Blue Jays lost 9–6 to the New York Yankees in a frustrating Game 3 of their best-of-five American League Division Series on Tuesday. Toronto jumped ahead 6–1 by the third inning and knocked Yankees starter Carlos Rodon out early, only to see the bullpen unravel as New York stormed back.
Mixed Feelings
The mood was mixed at Hoops Sports Bar & Grill in downtown Toronto, with some fans slumping over their drinks and others trying to lift the group’s spirits, insisting there’s still plenty of baseball left.
Game 4 is set for Wednesday night, and a win would send Toronto to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016.
Will Brisbin a fan, who just moved from Edmonton to Toronto a week ago said,
I have been following this team for so long. I’ve always been a pessimistic Jays fan. I did not think we were going to do anything. We finished last in the division last year. The (playoff) heartbreak against Minnesota (in 2023), the heartbreak against Seattle (2022). It seemed like everything was falling apart. But man, I’ll give (general manager) Ross Atkins credit. Small ball and defence. He has been building that for years. And I didn’t expect it to work. But it just did.
Turnaround Gives Hope
This postseason has already marked a few milestones for the team, bringing them their first playoff run since 2023 and the first series they’ve hosted since 2022. Saturday’s Game 1 win was Toronto’s first postseason victory since 2016, ending nearly a decade of frustration in the playoffs.
The turnaround is quite remarkable, as just last year, the Jays finished 74–88 and dead last in the AL East. When they started this season 14–16 by the end of April, no one truly had high expectations.
However, the team managed to find its rhythm, closing the year at 94–68, clinching its first division title since 2015 and the top seed in the American League. A tiebreaker over the Yankees brought the result.
Kyle Alexee commented,
It’s been amazing because the last time they were good was 2015. I wasn’t really a big baseball fan at the time, I just recently became a big baseball fan and so it’s really good. I’ve been enjoying it and we like flew here from (Prince Rupert) B.C., so like we travelled across (the) country to come here to see Game 1 and 2 so that was really cool to see.
