TORONTO — Cheryl and Dave Yesavage are standing around the third-base bag, eyes fixed beyond the foul line. Their son, Trey, is basking in the adoration of a couple hundred fans who are chanting his first name as he high-fives them through the mesh netting.
The rookie right-hander’s whirlwind season has been well-documented. He began the year in low-A, but now there’s a final step to add to his journey. Yesavage will finish the season playing in the 2025 World Series.
“Is this a dream? Is this a movie?” asks Cheryl.
“We’re pretty numb right now,” adds Dave. “Excited and numb.”
The words of Yesavage’s mother and father perfectly encapsulated the feeling inside Rogers Centre on Monday night after George Springer launched a dramatic three-run home run in the seventh inning that led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
The Blue Jays are headed to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993 and that meant it was time to throw a champagne celebration at the Dome.
Here’s a closer look at the sights and sounds of that party:
A matchup with Shohei Ohtani and the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers is set to begin Friday, but some players are having a tough time processing what just happened.
“It hasn’t really sunk in,” says Tyler Heineman. “Probably tomorrow. We still got a job to do. We got four wins to go. The Dodgers are a really good team. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge but we’re up for it.”
Once the catcher finishes up the conversation, he heads straight to the nearby cart filled with beer and ice. Heineman doesn’t much like champagne. It stings the eyes too much, so he prefers beers and there are plenty of Budweisers on deck.
Minutes ago, the Blue Jays finished up a trophy presentation on the field that saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. awarded the ALCS MVP award in front of the sellout crowd. The massive party has now moved to the hallway outside the Blue Jays’ clubhouse and there’s a DJ spinning tunes while a giant disco ball hangs from the ceiling and a smoke machine produces a thick, shisha-like haze every few minutes.
Springer, the hero of the hour — and perhaps of these playoffs — is standing, shirtless of course, in front of television cameras. Outfielder Myles Straw spots him and figures it’s time to adorn his teammate with booze.
Straw climbs on the nearby couch and pours a steady stream of beer on Springer’s head as the interview unfolds.
Just a few steps to their left is Eric Lauer, who’s bringing the club vibes as if this is The Guvernment, circa 2008. The left-hander is standing on the couch, above the crowd, grooving with bottles of beer in each hand. He’s next to reliever Justin Bruihl, who’s waving a flag that has the words “American League Champions” above to the Blue Jays’ logo.
“I think it’ll sink in tomorrow,” Lauer says. “The champagne definitely helps.”
Unlike Heineman, he prefers champagne over beer, but “we ran out of that pretty quick,” jokes Lauer, who turns serious when discussing the meaning behind this celebration.
“This is why it’s called a baseball family,” he says. “We’re together 90 per cent of the year. We’re away from our own families. Everybody here gets really close and that’s when great things happen. It’s the closeness that makes it really fun. They’re all my brothers and it’s your family.”
As the party filters back onto the field, players are greeted by their actual relatives and it makes for some heart-tugging scenes. In left field, Kevin Gausman is chatting with one of his daughters, who asks for his goggles. The right-handed starter, fresh off his scoreless inning out of the bullpen in Monday’s contest, removes it and places it on her head. It’s too big, of course, yet they both display genuine smiles in the moment.
Blue Jays legend Jose Bautista is on the field, soaking up the scene with Marco Estrada, who tossed out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game. The former teammates are now a decade removed from their spirited 2015 ALCS run and are standing on the mound, surrounded by members of the grounds crew. Bautista is mimicking Estrada’s windup, the two 40-somethings relishing a hearty laugh while looking young and fit enough to make onlookers question their own diet and fitness habits.
Nearby, Guerrero Jr. is huddled with family and friends who are serenading him with chants while hopping up and down. The superstar first baseman is revelling in the scene and, a few minutes later, he rushes over to the right side of the Blue Jays dugout with a hose to spray the fans who have remained in the stands.
“I was born here,” Guerrero Jr. told reporters during his post-game press conference. “I grew up in the Dominican and then, from the moment that I signed here, I knew I was going to be here my entire career. I knew I had to somehow make all the fans, the entire country, proud of me, of my team.
“And like I always say,” he continued, “my challenge is to bring the World Series back here to Canada.”
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Watch the Blue Jays in the World Series on Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays are heading to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. Watch the Blue Jays face the Dodgers beginning on Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Yesavage, who moments later will greet those same fans that Guerrero Jr. hosed, is also feeling the love and takes some time to reflect on what they mean to him.
“All these people having our backs and supporting us in this situation, getting to the World Series, is amazing,” Yesavage says. “We’re representing a country right now. The entire country has our back.”
His father, Dave, is listening, before chiming in with a nice one-liner, underlined by a proud smile.
“He understands his Canadian family is paramount,” he says.
