On the surface, there may not appear to be much simmering animosity between the Dodgers and Blue Jays. The World Series contenders reside in different leagues and countries more than 2,000 miles apart and lack the postseason history of last year’s Fall Classic foes.
Dig a little deeper, though, and it’s not hard to find the bad blood in individual cases, considering some of the players’ infamous ties to the opposition.
Even those with a positive connection to the opposing city know better than to expect a warm reception.
“I’m not so sure the Canadian fans, the Blue Jays fans, will be cheering for me this time around,” said Freddie Freeman, who represented Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. “But it is special. Both my parents were born and raised in Canada, especially the province of Ontario — my mom is from the Toronto area, dad from Windsor — so it is special.”
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Freeman’s mother passed away from melanoma when he was 10, and he said every time he goes to Toronto, he feels a little closer to her.
“So, I’m looking forward to it,” Freeman said. “I’m excited. Every time I go there, I always get this little envelope in my locker, and it’s always like pictures of, like, a third cousin that has found photos in their garage and they bring them to me. So, I love going back to Toronto.”
Freeman might be among the few to receive a smattering of cheers on the road.
For most, though, jeers should be expected.
And for these players in particular, don’t be surprised to hear the boos crescendo.
Honorable mention
Max Scherzer
Starting Pitcher, Blue Jays
Max Scherzer’s time in L.A. didn’t exactly end well. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
In 2021, the Dodgers were coming off their first World Series title in 32 years and needed a boost in the rotation as they attempted their repeat bid.
At the deadline, they added Scherzer and Trea Turner in a blockbuster move with the Nationals. Scherzer received a curtain call in his first start for the Dodgers, a 10-strikeout effort against the Astros, and pitched brilliantly down the stretch, going 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 11 regular season starts for the Dodgers after the trade.
However, the relationship started better than it ended. After another 10-strikeout performance in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Giants, Scherzer told the Dodgers he could pitch in relief in the deciding Game 5, referencing his bullpen work two postseasons prior as an example of his capabilities. On just two days of rest, he fired a scoreless inning to earn the save and send the Dodgers to the NLCS.
But the added workload caught up to him.
Three days later, Scherzer went just 4.1 innings in a Game 2 loss to the Braves and said his “arm was dead.” He was supposed to start in Game 6 but was scratched, forcing Walker Buehler to start on short rest. Buehler struggled through four innings, and the Dodgers were sent home, ending the relationship between Scherzer and the Dodgers which began so harmoniously on a bitter note. A month later, he signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Mets.
3) Roki Sasaki
Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
L.A. or Toronto? Roki Sasaki ultimately chose the West Coast. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The weather, the location, the club success, and the Japanese luminaries who are already on the roster. There are reasons why the Dodgers and Padres tend to be among the most desirable for star Japanese talents moving stateside. So it wasn’t particularly shocking when those NL West rivals were among the three finalists for Sasaki, the most coveted amateur free agent on the market last winter.
The third team in the mix came as more of a surprise.
Sasaki also had the Blue Jays on his list and was serious enough about all three spots that he visited each of them.
“Toronto appealed to him,” Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, told me in January, shortly after Sasaki made his decision. “In the final days when he was in Japan trying to make a decision what his next steps would be, he was trying to decide what was the best way to make a good decision. And Roki decided that the best way was to go visit fewer teams but spend more time in those cities.
“And it was actually a very smart decision in my opinion, even though it made for some very unpleasant phone calls, which was that he would go spend several days in each spot and experience the city, experience the team, see what a normal workday might feel like because he’s never been here and do that rather than go bouncing around to, say, five or six different cities and try and make a decision based on a very short period of time.”
Toronto prepared for its final push by adding $2 million in international bonus pool space, taking on the contract of outfielder Myles Straw from the Guardians in the process, in the hours prior to Sasaki’s decision.
Ultimately, though, Sasaki made the choice most expected from the jump, becoming the latest Japanese sensation to join the Dodgers and break Toronto’s hearts in the process.
For most of the year, it did not appear Sasaki would be a factor in October as he struggled as a starter early in the year. Now, though, he has developed into the Dodgers’ top ninth-inning option this postseason and will be featured prominently in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Interestingly, Straw, who has played a part-time role for the Blue Jays in each of their first two series, could also have a chance to make an impact.
2) Shohei Ohtani
Starting Pitcher/Designated Hitter, Los Angeles Dodgers
Head to Toronto or stay in L.A.? Shohei Ohtani had a big decision back in 2023. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
By now, we all remember the day well.
Ohtani announced his decision on his own accord on Dec. 9, 2023, with a simple “LA” logo on his Instagram page that belied the chaos of the turbulent 24 hours prior and left a country heartbroken.
For Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, it was an “emotional roller-coaster” that took years off his life. For Blue Jays fans, it was eager anticipation that turned into tantalizing agony.
Erroneous reports emerged that Ohtani had picked his next team … and was on a plane to Toronto. A flight-tracking adventure ensued. Only, it was not Ohtani who emerged from the private jet that departed from Southern California and landed in Toronto. Instead, it was Canadian businessman and “Shark Tank” judge Robert Herjavec. Ohtani was never on that plane.
Still, the saga, and coming so close, only made the pain for Blue Jays fans worse. They surely won’t forget that as the reigning (and likely soon-to-be) National League MVP serves in a two-way role in the World Series.
“I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jays hat that he took from us in our meeting, I hope he brought it back finally,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider quipped Thursday. “And the jacket for [his dog] Decoy, you know, it’s like, give us our stuff back already. But, he’s a great player.
“But that aside, I think that we have a great team and just an unbelievable cast of characters and players. I think things worked out the way they’re meant to work out.”
1) George Springer
Designated Hitter/Outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays
George Springer will definitely hear the jeers in Los Angeles. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
While Ohtani and Sasaki are likely to get the loudest jeers in Toronto, there’s no question which Blue Jays player will receive the biggest boos in Los Angeles.
Eight years after the Astros’ tainted World Series victory against the Dodgers, a seven-game battle in which Springer launched five home runs, the disdain lingers.
Every time a prominent member of that 2017 Houston team returns to L.A., Dodger fans let them have it. They felt cheated out of a championship and wronged that none of the players involved in Houston’s illegal sign-stealing scandal were punished.
Even after winning two World Series titles since then, time has not fully healed that wound.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
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