‘It’s inspiring’: Maple Leafs paying close attention to Blue Jays’ playoff run

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.

“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.”

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.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press